Brook Lopez is heading back to Southern California, and while he’s never played for the Clippers, the move feels like a homecoming for the veteran big man.
Welcome to #ClipperNation, Brook Lopez 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZcJymgAxTQ
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) July 6, 2025
Lopez signed a two-year, $17.9 million deal with the Clippers this offseason and will slot in as a backup to Ivica Zubac.
But his ties to the organization run deeper than his new role.
“He was my coach way back when in 2008 with the New Jersey Nets,” Lopez said (via NBC Sports) of Clippers team president Lawrence Frank. “So it’s definitely a full circle moment.”
The 36-year-old considered several teams in free agency, including the Lakers and Rockets, but was drawn to the Clippers’ mix of veteran talent and championship potential.
“Everything happened pretty fast, but looking at my options, I was just thrilled the Clippers reached out and were one of them,” Lopez said. “You know, they’ve been a great team for quite a while now. They have a ton of great players, obviously Hall of Famers, all sorts of great young players. I got Zuby [Ivica Zubac]. And there’s just a great chance to win a championship here.”
Lopez, who shot 37.3 percent from deep on 4.7 attempts per game last season, believes his skill set will allow Tyronn Lue to use him in a variety of roles.
“We’ll see. I’m capable of a lot of stuff,” Lopez said. “Obviously, I’m comfortable spreading the floor. I’m comfortable being in the post. I love defending, I love being anchor on defense. Bottom line, I just want to help the team win. Whatever they need me to do, whatever they see fit for my role, I’m going to be working as hard as possible to be great at that.”
Lopez said about playing with Zubac, “I think we complement each other extremely well. Obviously, we’ll be very big. I think we’d be great defensively, just dominating the paint, sealing the paint off. Then offensively, we complement each other there as well, spread the floor for him, give him all the room in the paint for them to go wild.”
READ MORE: Luka Doncic Gets Honest About Playing With LeBron Amid Rumored Animosity