Nick Van Exel
The charismatic point guard who finally brought the Clippers to a winning playoff series.
Nick Van Exel is an American professional basketball coach and former player who last served as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks. He played for six NBA teams from 1993 through 2006, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, and San Antonio Spurs. Van Exel was an NBA All-Star with the Lakers in 1998 and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in his first season. He played college basketball for the Cincinnati Bearcats, earning third-team All-American honors as a senior in 1993.
- Role
- Starting Point Guard
- Affiliation
- Los Angeles Clippers (1997–2003)
- First Appears
- Acquired via trade from Philadelphia in February 1997
- Status
- Franchise Legend / Retired
- Key Achievement
- Led the team to their first-ever playoff series victory in 1998
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
The source does not mention Nick Van Exel playing for the Los Angeles Clippers, being acquired via trade from Philadelphia in February 1997, or leading the Clippers to a playoff series victory. The source states Van Exel played for the San Antonio Spurs, Portland Trail Blazers, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Lakers. His tenure with the Lakers included being an NBA All-Star in 1998 and being traded to the Denver Nuggets on June 24, 1998. The source does not support any statements about the Clippers franchise.
In Their Own Story
The source does not provide any story about Van Exel with the Los Angeles Clippers. It does describe a moment with the Lakers: Van Exel was the last Laker to score in the Boston Garden when he nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lakers the win. He also hit a pair of clutch three-pointers for the Lakers in game 5 of the 1995 Western Conference Semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs, sending the game into overtime and then deciding it.
Reader's Guide
The source does not support any guide about Van Exel with the Los Angeles Clippers. It does provide details about his NBA career: Van Exel was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round as the 37th overall pick of the 1993 NBA draft. He averaged 14.9 points per game and 7.3 assists per game during his Lakers career. On June 24, 1998, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets. He later played for the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Portland Trail Blazers, and San Antonio Spurs before retiring after the 2005-06 season.
Did You Know?
- Van Exel was the last Laker to score in the Boston Garden when he nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Lakers the win.
- He recorded a career-high 23 assists on January 5, 1997, against the Vancouver Grizzlies, though the scorekeeper later admitted to intentionally inflating the total.
- Van Exel was known for his peculiar free-throw routine, taking his attempts while standing well over a foot behind the free-throw line.
- He twice scored a career single-game high of 44 points, both for the Denver Nuggets—on April 15, 2000, against the Los Angeles Clippers and on November 1, 2001, against the Milwaukee Bucks.
- Van Exel was name-dropped in the lyrics of the 2003 Beyoncé and Jay-Z song 'Crazy in Love.'