The NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers will hold their Pride night for LGBTQ fans on Jan. 1 vs. the Philadelphia 76ers at Staples Center at 7:30 p.m.
Confirmed performances for the night include those by openly gay country singer Brandon Stansell (who will sing the national anthem) and hip hop artist Snow Tha Product (halftime).
The Clippers will also host a pre-game panel featuring speakers from the LGBTQ sports community: WNBA Head Coach Curt Miller; Julie Shaw, head coach of the University of La Verne women’s basketball team; professional wrestler and activist Fred Rosser and Paralympian Angela Madsen with Jason Jaramillo from the Lambda Basketball league being the moderator.
Players from Lambda basketball will also be given access during the day to play on the Staples Center court, which is a nice touch.
“The Clippers are proud to represent every part of L.A. as we continue to amplify the powerful message that diversity and inclusion makes us stronger,” Gillian Zucker, Clippers President of Business Operations, said in a statement to Outsports. “Respect for different backgrounds, genders, heritage and cultures has long been a part of the Clippers platform and we’re thrilled to celebrate and embrace the LGBTQIA+ community with Pride night.”
Tickets range from $24 to $125 and can be bought at www.nba.com/clippers/PRIDE — promo code: LGBT. Groups of eight or more should contact Emma Pieper ([email protected] or 213-204-2869). All tickets come with a Pride T-shirt.
Having the game on New Year’s night is unusual for a Pride night, but the Clippers are a surprise playoff contender in the NBA’s Western Conference, while the 76ers are one of the best teams in the East, so the game should be pretty good. The Lakers held their first Pride night in the preseason.
This is not the first Pride night held by the Clippers. In 2011, the team hosted a gay night sponsored by Outsports and Equality California.
