SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Ralph Lawler, who first came to San Diego to broadcast Chargers games in 1971, then returned as the voice of the San Diego Clippers and stayed with the team for more than 40 years, is back in his old town to start a tour promoting his new book "Bingo: 40 Years in the NBA."
He joined ABC 10News reporter Jeff Lasky in a visit to what was then known as the San Diego Sports Arena, Lawler's first visit to the building the Clippers called home in over two decades.
"Does it look a lot different than when the Clippers were playing here?" Lasky asked. "Well, about the same amount of crowd," Lawler joked, referencing the empty building.
In an interview that spans more than 30 minutes, Lawler walked through the arena, triggering old memories about the early days of the Clippers, his long-term friendship with San Diego sports icon Bill Walton, how years of bad Clippers teams helped him develop as a broadcaster, how he came up with his famous catchphrases.
There is also a candid conversation about the challenges of working for disgraced former Clippers owner Donald Sterling. "There would be these awful stories about these terrible things he'd be doing and you'd think 'how can I work for this guy?' Lawler said.
