Amid Kawhi investigation, the Clippers' YouTube suddenly goes dark
In sharp change in transparency, the team has not posted its Media Day press conferences or any content to its massive official channel
During Tuesday’s Media Day, Kawhi Leonard and LA Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank spoke defiantly against the allegations of cap circumvention. Within the team’s first official opportunity to tell the public their side of the story, Leonard and Frank responded to the growing pile of private and public documents brought to light by Pablo Torre Finds Out’s five-part investigation. As the NBA performs its own investigation, the Clippers on Tuesday repeatedly stated their innocence and insisted that they have nothing to hide.
“We are eager for the whole truth,” Frank said during a prepared statement, “the whole picture to be revealed.”
The team’s digital channels don’t seem so eager.
You can’t find those remarks anywhere on the Clippers’ official channels.
As of Thursday morning, the Clippers’ official YouTube account has not posted a single video from Media Day or training camp, breaking away from its own tradition and standard practice from NBA teams.
Want to hear what its superstar Kawhi Leonard had to say about his first healthy offseason in years? Chris Paul’s long-awaited return to the Media Day podium in a Clippers uniform? Newcomer Bradley Beal?
You’ll have to keep waiting. The team’s 219,000 subscribers have only a highlight reel of James Harden scoring lots of points, posted on September 24, to watch.
The lack of activity from the organization’s official feed represents a stark contrast to their publishing cadence in the past.
Here is what their feed looked after last year’s Media Day:
When Frank spoke to reporters about signing Chris Paul this summer, his media availability was posted within minutes that same day.
Same goes for the Clippers’ press conferences and media availabilities throughout the summer following the draft and free agency.
But the media availabilities since Torre’s investigation?
The team’s YouTube channel has gone dark.
Leonard told reporters that the controversy wouldn’t be a distraction. The team has said repeatedly that it welcomes the NBA’s investigation, with Frank saying, the team is “eager for the truth to come out.” But those words won’t be found on its massive YouTube platform.
The Clippers’ silence stands out amongst peers. In anticipation of the upcoming season, teams around the league have been posting their Media Day and press conferences, not just from their front office and coach but also several players. For instance, here’s the Boston Celtics’ feed with more than a dozen full-length interviews posted:
And the Atlanta Hawks:
How’s this for transparency? The Brooklyn Nets even posted a 110-minute supercut of every player press conference with timestamps listing 21 names. Dying to hear 21 different Brooklyn Nets players talk about how they’re in the best shape of their life? You’ve come to the right place!
Even uncomfortable moments were shared. In Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Media Day availability, he rebuked his owner’s assertion that they had met this summer. It wasn’t the best look for the organization. And yet, the Milwaukee Bucks had no problem posting that video and others from Media Day.
The Phoenix Suns, facing a string of lawsuits reported by ESPN’s Baxter Holmes, have posted dozens of press conferences since Media Day, including that of the owner, president, general manager, head coach and 21 different players.
All the while, nothing from the Clippers.
The Clippers’ X feed has posted several times in recent days, showing scenes from practice and a few seconds of James Harden and Chris Paul’s press conferences. But nothing from Leonard and Frank’s press conferences that were otherwise picked up by national media outlets and social media feeds everywhere. And nothing on their official team website.
As of Thursday morning, the Clippers’ YouTube feed is still dormant. According to research from The Finder, the Clippers are the only NBA team that hasn’t posted a video from Media Day or training camp.
The Clippers had been extremely active, posting, on average, every other day over the last two months. And then, just in time for Media Day, the Clippers suddenly unplugged one of its biggest media platforms.
Editor’s note: In the original post I wrote that the Clippers were the only ACTIVE YouTube channel to avoid Media Day. The Houston Rockets had also not published press conferences to their YouTube account and they barely post anything so I wouldn’t consider them an active account. But I discovered that the Rockets had separately posted a live stream of their Media Day press conference with Ime Udoka and Rafael Stone, which does not live under their Video tab. The Clippers have done no such thing.