Lawler had broadcast over 3,000 games with the Clippers and has won the hearts of many fans with his signature phrases like, “bingo!,” “oh me, oh my,” “fasten your seatbelts,” and “Lawler’s Law.”
Lawler details his broadcast journey from his years in Philadelphia to how he landed with the Clippers in 1978. He recalls doing radio programs as well as TV shows and how to keep fans engaged when the team wasn’t winning.
He refutes the idea of the Clippers “Curse” and says that he’s pleased with the progress the team has made in the last seven years.
“I love where the Clippers are now,” Lawler said. “I don’t know how many years you have to excel before people stop having the lede paragraph be ‘the long-suffering Clippers.’”
Lawler explains why he preferred to work for a team rather than a broadcasting company and recounts how his first hockey broadcast and how a chance encounter with Donald Sterling got him his job back.
He describes his own “NBA Love Story” with his wife, Sweet Jo, who was a fixture of section 119. He describes how they are both keeping up with the Clippers after his retirement.
“She is such a great fan – that’s what a lot of people don’t realize,” Lawler said. “We watched all the [Clippers] league pass games – we’d shout and we’d yell,” Lawler said. “We miss it.”
Lawler also shares a story about meeting a one-year-old Kobe Bryant and his hopes for a better 2020.
Listen to the full podcast here.
