Clipper Darrell

Darrell Bailey (born ), better known as Clipper Darrell, is a superfan of the Los Angeles Clippers and has been described as of the few remaining clean hecklers in the National Basketball Association. A season ticket holder since the 2000–01 season, Clipper Darrell is well-known fans for leading cheers and loudly trash talking the other team with taunts. One of his personal favorites is, "U-G-L-Y, you ain’t got no alibi, you ugly!", which he directs at opposing players when they shoot free throws.

Early life and career Bailey grew up in South Los Angeles and was known as a jokester in his youth. As a young adult he dropped out of community college and had stints working at Carls, Jr. and with disabled children before a memorable incident in 1984 when he was fired from a pager and cellphone store. In an angry outburst, his former boss said he was "never going to amount to nothing". Bailey went home feeling upset and when a Clippers game came on TV, he heard an announcer speak about the Clippers in a way that his boss had spoken to him. Bailey decided to become a fan: "I said to myself, 'This is going to be my team. We are going to ride and die together, me and the Clippers'", he told The New York Times. He was originally known as Dancing Man before changing to Clipper Darrell after a few radio appearances. The Wall Street Journal wrote, "He’s perhaps the only superfan in the history of the Los Angeles Clippers." He attended 386 consecutive games until the streak was broken by a trip to the hospital for high blood pressure in 2010.

Bailey says he was approached at a Clippers game by Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, who offered him a job as a professional Mavericks fan in Dallas. He felt loyal to the Clippers but visited Texas to consider the idea, later explaining "it isn’t every day that a billionaire knocks on your door. I had to fly out and listen." In 2006, Bailey was at the airport to wish the Clippers well as they departed to Phoenix for Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals. Though Bailey had plans to drive to the game with friends, then-owner Donald Sterling invited him onto the team plane, and he traveled with the team. In a statement, the Clippers said its concern was Bailey's "inappropriate" use of team trademarks for "unmonitored commercial gain". The team's actions were criticized as tone deaf.

In 2014, former Clippers co-owner Shelly Sterling received the title of "Clippers Number One Fan” as part of the sales agreement with incoming owner Steve Ballmer. Yahoo! Sports opined that Clipper Darrell was "the Clippers No. 1 fan, no matter what official documents say."

Personal life Bailey has a wife and four children, and works as an automobile broker.