The best Clipper to wear No. 40

There have been 10 players who have worn the No. 40 in franchise history. The first was Jerry Chambers back in 1972, and the most recent has been Ivica Zubac who has worn it the last few years.

Today, we’ll be paying tribute to James Donaldson, who wore No. 40 with both the San Diego and Los Angeles Clippers. Donaldson joined the team in 1983, the final season they played in San Diego. He was with the club for a little over two seasons, before being sent to Dallas during the 1985 campaign.

Donaldson was a workhorse, playing every game during his first two seasons. He played in 164 games while starting 125 of them. In his time on the court, Donaldson averaged 11.6 points per game, along with eight rebounds and 1.6 blocks. He shot just under 62 percent from the field and 75 percent from the line.

He had 19 double-doubles during his first season with the team. His best game in 1984 came against the Spurs, where he finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks. He’s one of nine players in franchise history to finish with those numbers in a game, and only Elton Brand and Chris Kaman have accomplished that over the last 25 years.

The following season he had 21 double-doubles. He had a game in which he finished with 19 points, 19 rebounds, three blocks and three assists, being one of only eight players in franchise history to accomplish that stat line. He had 10 games with at least 13 rebounds and 21 games where he scored at least 15 points.

Donaldson played in only 14 games the next season before he was traded to Dallas. In that short stretch of games, he averaged 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks a game.

Here’s what Donaldson had to say about his time with the Clippers on a podcast.