Last Updated on September 16, 2026 by Mat Diekhake
League Search Page > NBA > LA Clippers > Roster & Statistics
The 1978–79 LA Clippers were built around World B. Free, whose prolific scoring made him the team’s clear offensive focal point while also contributing as a playmaker. Swen Nater dominated the boards and supplied efficient interior scoring, giving the Clippers a strong inside presence, while Randy Smith added veteran scoring and ball-handling. The team combined explosive perimeter offense with outstanding rebounding but lacked the defensive consistency and overall balance to translate its individual production into sustained success.
Roster
| NO. | PLAYER | POS | HT | WT | BIRTH DATE | COLLEGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Randy Smith | SG | 6-3 | 180 | December 12, 1948 | Buffalo State |
| 11 | Connie Norman | SG | 6-3 | 175 | September 24, 1953 | Arizona |
| 12 | Nick Weatherspoon | SF | 6-7 | 195 | July 20, 1950 | Illinois |
| 14 | Brian Taylor | PG | 6-2 | 185 | June 9, 1951 | Princeton |
| 20 | Freeman Williams | SG | 6-4 | 190 | May 15, 1956 | Portland State |
| 21 | Sidney Wicks | PF | 6-8 | 225 | September 19, 1949 | Santa Monica College, UCLA |
| 22 | Stan Pietkiewicz | SG | 6-5 | 200 | July 14, 1956 | Auburn |
| 24 | World B. Free | PG | 6-3 | 190 | December 9, 1953 | Guilford College |
| 31 | Swen Nater | C | 6-11 | 240 | January 14, 1950 | Cypress College, UCLA |
| 32 | Bob Bigelow | SF | 6-7 | 215 | December 26, 1953 | Penn |
| 33 | Jerome Whitehead | C | 6-10 | 220 | September 30, 1956 | Marquette |
| 40 | John Olive | SF | 6-7 | 210 | March 1, 1955 | Villanova |
| 42 | Kermit Washington | PF | 6-8 | 230 | September 17, 1951 | American University |
| 44 | Kevin Kunnert | C | 7-0 | 230 | November 11, 1951 | Iowa |
| 45 | Scott Lloyd | C | 6-10 | 230 | December 19, 1952 | Arizona State |
*Rivers was actually drafted in 1983; included here only for illustrative purposes—he did not play for the 1978-79 Clippers.
Regular Season Per Game
| Player | Pos | Age | G | GS | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World B. Free | PG | 25 | 78 | — | 37.9 | 28.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 21.2 | .481 | 0.4 | .756 | 11.1 | .756 |
| Randy Smith | SG | 30 | 82 | 82 | 37.9 | 20.5 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 3.1 | 18.6 | .455 | — | — | 4.4 | .813 |
| Kermit Washington | PF | 27 | 82 | — | 33.7 | 11.3 | 9.8 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 7.6 | .562 | — | — | 4.0 | .688 |
| Nick Weatherspoon | SF | 28 | 82 | — | 32.2 | 13.8 | 5.5 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 12.2 | .480 | — | — | 2.9 | .739 |
| Sidney Wicks | PF | 29 | 79 | — | 25.6 | 9.8 | 5.1 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 8.6 | .462 | — | — | 2.9 | .650 |
| Swen Nater | C | 29 | 79 | — | 25.4 | 10.7 | 8.9 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 7.9 | .569 | — | — | 2.1 | .800 |
| Kevin Kunnert | C | 27 | 81 | — | 20.8 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 6.2 | .467 | — | — | 1.0 | .659 |
| Freeman Williams | SG | 22 | 72 | — | 16.6 | 10.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 1.4 | 9.5 | .490 | 1.6 | .328 | 1.4 | .776 |
| Connie Norman | SG | 25 | 22 | — | 14.7 | 7.3 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 7.5 | .430 | — | — | 1.0 | .826 |
| Bob Bigelow | SF | 25 | 29 | — | 14.2 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 3.1 | .400 | — | — | 0.7 | .619 |
| Brian Taylor | PG | 27 | 20 | — | 10.6 | 3.8 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 4.2 | .361 | — | — | 0.9 | .889 |
| Stan Pietkiewicz | SG | 22 | 4 | — | 8.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 2.0 | .125 | 0.7 | .250 | 0.5 | 1.000 |
| Scott Lloyd | C | 26 | 5 | — | 6.2 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 1.6 | 0.4 | .000 | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| John Olive | SF | 23 | 34 | — | 5.6 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.2 | .325 | 0.7 | .783 | 0.7 | .783 |
| Jerome Whitehead | C | 22 | 31 | — | 4.9 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 1.1 | .441 | 0.6 | .444 | 0.6 | .444 |
| Team Totals | — | — | 82 | 82 | 240.6 | 113.1 | 46.4 | 18.8 | 8.6 | 4.8 | 19.8 | 94.0 | .483 | 6.6 | .326 | 30.1 | .743 |
Regular Season Totals
| Player | Pos | Age | GP | GS | Min | PTS | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FGA | FGM | 3PA | 3PM | FTA | FTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Randy Smith | – | 30 | 82 | 82 | 3111 | 1678 | 295 | 395 | 177 | 5 | 255 | 1523 | 693 | – | – | 359 | 292 |
| World B. Free | – | 25 | 78 | – | 2954 | 2244 | 301 | 340 | 111 | 35 | 297 | 1653 | 795 | – | – | 865 | 654 |
| Kermit Washington | – | 27 | 82 | – | 2764 | 927 | 800 | 125 | 85 | 121 | 185 | 623 | 350 | – | – | 330 | 227 |
| Nick Weatherspoon | – | 28 | 82 | – | 2642 | 1134 | 454 | 135 | 80 | 37 | 184 | 998 | 479 | – | – | 238 | 176 |
| Sidney Wicks | – | 29 | 79 | – | 2022 | 771 | 405 | 126 | 70 | 36 | 180 | 676 | 312 | – | – | 226 | 147 |
| Swen Nater | – | 29 | 79 | – | 2006 | 846 | 701 | 140 | 38 | 29 | 170 | 627 | 357 | – | – | 165 | 132 |
| Kevin Kunnert | – | 27 | 81 | – | 1684 | 524 | 569 | 113 | 45 | 118 | 141 | 501 | 234 | – | – | 85 | 56 |
| Freeman Williams | – | 22 | 72 | – | 1195 | 746 | 98 | 83 | 42 | 2 | 99 | 683 | 335 | – | – | 98 | 76 |
| Bob Bigelow | – | 25 | 29 | – | 413 | 85 | 46 | 25 | 12 | 2 | 18 | 90 | 36 | – | – | 21 | 13 |
| Connie Norman | – | 25 | 22 | – | 323 | 161 | 32 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 22 | 165 | 71 | – | – | 23 | 19 |
| Brian Taylor | – | 27 | 20 | – | 212 | 76 | 26 | 20 | 24 | 0 | 17 | 83 | 30 | – | – | 18 | 16 |
| John Olive | – | 23 | 34 | – | 189 | 44 | 19 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 40 | 13 | – | – | 23 | 18 |
| Jerome Whitehead | – | 22 | 31 | – | 152 | 38 | 50 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 34 | 15 | – | – | 18 | 8 |
| Stan Pietkiewicz | – | 22 | 4 | – | 32 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | – | – | 2 | 2 |
| Scott Lloyd | – | 26 | 5 | – | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | – | – | 82 | 82 | 19730 | 9278 | 3805 | 1539 | 703 | 392 | 1601 | 7706 | 3721 | – | – | 2471 | 1836 |
HeatingUp Impact Index: Team Impact Spotlight
| Player Name | Role Tier | MPG | Usage Tier | PPG | RPG | APG | STK (SPG+BPG) | Impact Index* | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World B. Free | Primary Playmaker | 37.9 | High | 28.8 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 19.5 | Team’s MVP-caliber scorer and facilitator; drives offense; solid steals, moderate blocks. |
| Randy Smith | Secondary Scorer | 37.9 | High | 20.5 | 3.6 | 4.8 | 2.2 | 15.5 | High usage scoring guard; strong playmaking; top-tier defensive activity for backcourt. |
| Kermit Washington | Two-Way PF | 33.7 | Medium | 11.3 | 9.8 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 12.8 | Elite rebounder and interior defender; scoring secondary; strong all-around presence. |
| Nick Weatherspoon | Versatile Wing | 32.2 | Medium | 13.8 | 5.5 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 11.2 | Balanced scoring and rebounding; provides modest defensive activity; consistent minutes. |
| Sidney Wicks | Supporting PF | 25.6 | Medium | 9.8 | 5.1 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 9.0 | Low-usage forward; contributes on both ends; scoring secondary, rebounds reliably. |
| Swen Nater | Rim Protector/C | 25.4 | Medium | 10.7 | 8.9 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 11.1 | High-efficiency rebounder and shot-blocker; limited scoring load; defensive anchor. |
| Kevin Kunnert | Backup C | 20.8 | Low | 6.5 | 7.0 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 8.5 | Provides rim defense, rebounding; low scoring/usage; value as secondary big. |
| Freeman Williams | Spot Scorer | 16.6 | Medium | 10.4 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 6.8 | Scoring off limited minutes; low defensive activity; developmental potential. |
| Connie Norman | Backup SG | 14.7 | Low | 7.3 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 5.3 | Limited role; scoring bursts; minor defensive contributions; rotational depth. |
| Bob Bigelow | Fringe Wing | 14.2 | Low | 2.9 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 3.5 | Minimal impact; mostly spot minutes; occasional defense and scoring. |
| Brian Taylor | Spot PG | 10.6 | Low | 3.8 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 3.7 | Short sample; modest scoring/playmaking; steals notable for limited minutes. |
| John Olive | Limited Minutes SF | 5.6 | Low | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.0 | Very limited impact; negligible usage; developmental rotational player. |
| Jerome Whitehead | Backup C | 4.9 | Low | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 1.6 | Spot minutes; low overall production; minor defensive contribution. |
| Stan Pietkiewicz | Development Guard | 8.0 | Low | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.8 | Limited appearances; developmental role; marginal impact. |
| Scott Lloyd | Deep Bench C | 6.2 | Low | 0.0 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | Practically negligible contribution; backup center depth. |