Clipper Darrell

Darrell Bailey (born 1967/1968),[1] better known as Clipper Darrell, is a superfan of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association.[2] A season ticket holder since the 2000–01 season, he dances, leads cheers, and taunts the opposing team at home games in a half red, half blue suit—the Clippers' team colors.[3][4] One of his usual chants is "Let's go Clippers!". A personal favorite of his is "U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no alibi, you ugly!", which he directs at opposing players when they shoot free throws.[3][5] He is one of the few remaining clean hecklers in the NBA.[1][5]

Clipper Darrell
Clipper Darrell in 2010.
Born
Darrell Bailey

1967/1968 (age 52–53)
Websiteclipperdarrell.com

Bailey drives a 1995 BMW 740i, customized in the Clippers' red, white, and blue color scheme. The hood features a Clippers logo and autographs, and the license plates are customized with CLIPERD.[3] His home in Los Angeles is painted in the team's colors with a red, white and blue basketball court in the driveway and a Clippers logo on the pavement. The front door is red, and the living room is white and blue with Clippers logos prominent from the walls to the floor tiles.[3][6]

As a student growing up in South Los Angeles, Bailey was known as a jokester. He held various jobs after dropping out of community college.[1] In 1984, he was fired from his job and told by his boss that he would "never amount to anything". After hearing an announcer say the same about the Clippers, he decided to support the team. He was originally known as Dancing Man before changing to Clipper Darrell after a few radio appearances.[3] He attended 386 consecutive games until the streak was broken by a trip to the hospital for high blood pressure.[7] The New York Times called him "the team’s unofficial biggest fan".[8] The Wall Street Journal wrote, "He’s perhaps the only superfan in the history of the Los Angeles Clippers."[9] He is not an employee of the Clippers organization. In February 2012, there was a dispute with the team over the use of Clipper in his name.[6] The Clippers accused him of capitalizing on the Clipper name, but later reached a mutual agreement that Bailey would notify the Clippers when appearing publicly as Clipper Darrell.[10]

In 2014, former Clippers co-owner Shelly Sterling received the title of "Clippers Number One Fan” as part of the sales agreement with incoming owner Steve Ballmer.[11] Yahoo! Sports, however, opined that Clipper Darrell was "the Clippers No. 1 fan, no matter what official documents say."[12]

Bailey has a wife and four children.[6]

References
  1. Streeter, Kurt (July 20, 2018). "Clipper Darrell Won't Bow to King James. But He Wants To". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 21, 2018.
  2. Beck, Howard (May 12, 2006). "NBA: Clipper fans savor moment of glory". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012.
  3. Markazi, Arash (May 11, 2009). "A Clippers fan 'til the end -- almost". SI.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2010.
  4. "Come to L.A., LeBron: Clippers fans hold parade in James' honor". Cleaveland.com. Associated Press. May 28, 2010. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012.
  5. Coro, Paul (April 4, 2013). "Fight breaks out in 4th quarter of Phoenix Suns vs. Los Angeles Clippers game". azcentral.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013.
  6. Markazi, Arash (February 29, 2012). "'Clipper Darrell,' Clippers butt heads". ESPNLosAngeles.com. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012.
  7. Lin, Dennis (October 26, 2010). "Not Your Typical Fan". NBA.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2010.
  8. Gold, Jon (January 30, 2011). "Remaking a B-Movie in Los Angeles". The New York Times. p. SP7. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  9. Gordon, Jeremy (March 1, 2012). "The Ballad of Clipper Darrell". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on March 1, 2012.
  10. Gleeson, Scott (March 19, 2012). "Longtime fan Clipper Darrell is back". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012.
  11. Bolch, Ben; Fenno, Nathan; Rohlin, Melissa (August 12, 2014). "Steve Ballmer is officially new owner of Clippers, NBA says". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 2, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  12. Freeman, Eric (August 19, 2014). "Clipper Darrell is willing to let Shelly Sterling share the title of 'Clippers No. 1 Fan'". yahoo.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
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