The best Clipper to wear No. 5

This was a difficult decision, as there have been some really good Clippers players to wear the No. 5 throughout the years. Two honorable mentions I have before I begin are Cuttino Mobley and Montrezl Harrell.

Overall, 16 players have worn the No. 5 in franchise history. The first was Paul Long back in 1971, and the most recent has been Harrell, who has been wearing the number since coming to the Clippers in 2017.

However, none have been better than Danny Manning, who wore No. 5 from 1989 through 1994. Manning didn’t wear the No. 5 for his entire tenure with the Clippers, as he wore No. 25 during his rookie campaign.

Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

Manning was the No. 1 pick by the Clippers in the 1988 NBA Draft. His rookie campaign was cut short after only 26 games, as he underwent knee surgery. He’d remain healthy over the remainder of his Clippers career, and was one of the better players in the NBA.

During his tenure in Los Angeles, Manning averaged 19.1 points per game. Additionally, he averaged 6.4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.5 steals per game as well. He was only one of seven players in the NBA with those averages during his years with the Clippers. The others? Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, David Robinson, Clyde Drexler and Magic Johnson. Not bad company to be with.

His play helped get the Clippers to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, in 1992 and 1993. In the postseason, Manning averaged 20 points and seven rebounds per game.

Manning’s best year with the Clippers was the 1992-1993 season, when he averaged 23 points a game while shooting 51 percent from the field. He was named an NBA All-Star that season, as well as the following year when he averaged just under 21 points and seven rebounds a game.

On February 24, 1994, Manning was traded to the Atlanta Hawks for Dominique Wilkins and a first-round draft pick, ending his time in Los Angeles.

Here’s where Manning ranks among the Clipper leaderboards:

• 548 steals (5th)
• 406 blocks (10th)
• 7,120 points (7th)
• 19.1 points per game (8th)
• 1.5 steals per game (10th)
• 31 win shares (9th)
• 12.4 value over replacement player (7th)