Bo Kimble considered suicide while playing for the Clippers
The 2014-15 Los Angeles Clippers team, a No. 3 seed in the semifinals of the challenging Western Conference playoffs, is a far cry from the team that Bo Kimble was a part of.
The former Clippers forward, who was the No. 8 pick by Los Angeles in the 1990 draft, told Deadspin's Tom Ley that his team was so bad that he considered suicide.
"I will say my darkest Clipper moment – nobody knew about this – was that I thought about committing suicide at least 10 to 15 times," explained Kimble when asked what it was like to play for the NBA's worst franchise.
"For me, being a lottery pick, knowing I'm (one of the) better shooters and scorers on the team, we're losing 15 out of 22 games and you're paying me $11 million and I can't get on the court. I didn't make the NBA because of money, I made it because of my love of the game. So that was something that I’m glad I got past."
Kimble's experience was rough in his first year in the league, with the Clippers finishing 31-51 while he averaged just under seven points per game in 16 minutes. Kimble saw his playing time drop to eight minutes per game in his sophomore season, but the team's record improved to 45-37.
The young forward was traded to the New York Knicks in the summer of 1992 as part of a three-way deal that sent Mark Jackson to the Clippers.