Clippers to own and operate new G-League team

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Clippers will have their own team in the NBA's soon-to-be renamed G-League that will be called the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario.

They said Monday that the new team will begin play this fall at Citizens Business Bank Arena, located 40 miles east of Los Angeles. It will bring the Gatorade League to 26 teams, all of which are owned or operated by an NBA franchise.

Coach Doc Rivers says the new team allows the Clippers to develop their young players locally instead of sending them off to play for affiliates of other NBA clubs. No coach has been announced yet.

Agua Caliente Casino Resorts is the Clippers' top sponsor. The team is named for the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, a federally recognized tribe in Palm Springs, California.