Last Updated on September 16, 2026 by Mat Diekhake
League Search Page > NBA > LA Clippers > Roster & Statistics
The 1979–80 LA Clippers were powered by World B. Free, whose elite scoring made him the centerpiece of the offense while also contributing as a secondary playmaker. Swen Nater controlled the paint with outstanding rebounding and efficient interior scoring, while Randy Smith provided experienced backcourt scoring and ball-handling. The Clippers relied on a high-volume offensive approach supported by dominant work on the boards, but their overall balance remained limited beyond their core contributors.
Roster
| NO. | PLAYER | POS | HT | WT | BIRTH DATE | COLLEGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Steve Malovic | PF | 6-10 | 230 | July 21, 1956 | USC, San Diego State |
| 7 | Bingo Smith | SF | 6-5 | 195 | February 26, 1946 | Tulsa |
| 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 | PG | 6-5 | 200 | July 14, 1956 | Auburn |
| 23 | Joe Bryant | PF | 6-10 | 200 | October 19, 1954 | La Salle |
| 24 | World B. Free | SG | 6-3 | 190 | December 9, 1953 | Guilford College |
| 27 | Marvin Barnes | PF | 6-9 | 225 | July 27, 1952 | Providence |
| 30 | Bob Carrington | SG | 6-6 | 195 | July 3, 1953 | Boston College |
| 31 | Swen Nater | C | 6-11 | 240 | January 14, 1950 | Cypress College, UCLA |
| 32 | Bill Walton | C | 6-11 | 210 | November 5, 1952 | UCLA |
| 33 | Jerome Whitehead | C | 6-10 | 220 | September 30, 1956 | Marquette |
| 40 | John Olive | SF | 6-7 | 210 | March 1, 1955 | Villanova |
Head Coach: Gene Shue
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 | SG | 26 | 68 | 68 | 38.0 | 30.2 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 3.4 | 22.9 | .474 | 0.4 | .360 | 11.2 | .753 |
| Swen Nater | C | 30 | 81 | 81 | 35.3 | 13.4 | 15.0 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 3.2 | 9.9 | .554 | 0.0 | .000 | 3.4 | .718 |
| Brian Taylor | PG | 28 | 78 | 78 | 35.3 | 13.5 | 2.4 | 4.3 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 11.5 | .467 | 3.1 | .377 | 2.1 | .802 |
| Sidney Wicks | PF | 30 | 71 | 71 | 30.2 | 7.1 | 5.8 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 7.0 | .423 | 0.0 | .000 | 2.1 | .546 |
| Joe Bryant | PF | 25 | 81 | 81 | 28.7 | 9.3 | 6.4 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 2.1 | 8.4 | .431 | 0.4 | .147 | 2.7 | .742 |
| Bingo Smith | SF | 33 | 70 | 70 | 28.4 | 11.7 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 11.7 | .430 | 1.1 | .289 | 1.5 | .869 |
| Freeman Williams | SG | 23 | 82 | 82 | 25.8 | 18.6 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 2.1 | 16.4 | .480 | 1.6 | .328 | 2.9 | .815 |
| Bill Walton | C | 27 | 14 | 14 | 24.1 | 13.9 | 9.0 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 11.5 | .503 | 0.0 | – | 3.9 | .593 |
| Nick Weatherspoon | SF | 29 | 57 | 57 | 19.7 | 6.9 | 3.6 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.5 | 6.6 | .434 | 0.0 | – | 1.6 | .692 |
| John Olive | SF | 24 | 1 | 1 | 15.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | .000 | 0.0 | – | 0.0 | – |
| Marvin Barnes | PF | 27 | 20 | 20 | 14.4 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 3.0 | .400 | 0.0 | – | 1.6 | .500 |
| Bob Carrington | SG | 26 | 10 | 10 | 13.4 | 3.6 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 3.7 | .405 | 0.2 | .000 | 0.8 | .750 |
| Jerome Whitehead | C | 23 | 18 | 18 | 12.5 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 2.5 | .600 | 0.0 | – | 1.0 | .278 |
| Stan Pietkiewicz | PG | 23 | 50 | 50 | 11.5 | 4.6 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 3.6 | .508 | 0.7 | .250 | 0.9 | .804 |
| Steve Malovic | PF | 23 | 28 | 28 | 9.9 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.5 | .548 | 0.0 | – | 0.3 | .778 |
| Team Totals | — | — | 82 | — | 240.9 | 107.6 | 43.9 | 20.6 | 8.1 | 3.5 | 17.6 | 91.4 | .470 | 6.6 | .326 | 28.1 | .736 |
Regular Season Totals
| Player | Pos | Age | GP | GS | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FGA | FGM | 3PA | 3PM | FTA | FTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swen Nater | C | 30 | 81 | 81 | 2860 | 1082 | 1216 | 233 | 45 | 37 | 257 | 799 | 443 | 2 | 0 | 273 | 196 |
| Brian Taylor | PG | 28 | 78 | 78 | 2754 | 1056 | 188 | 335 | 147 | 25 | 141 | 895 | 418 | 239 | 90 | 162 | 130 |
| World B. Free | SG | 26 | 68 | 68 | 2585 | 2055 | 238 | 283 | 81 | 32 | 228 | 1556 | 737 | 25 | 9 | 760 | 572 |
| Joe Bryant | PF | 25 | 81 | 81 | 2328 | 754 | 516 | 144 | 102 | 39 | 170 | 682 | 294 | 34 | 5 | 217 | 161 |
| Sidney Wicks | PF | 30 | 71 | 71 | 2146 | 503 | 409 | 213 | 76 | 52 | 167 | 496 | 210 | 1 | 0 | 152 | 83 |
| Freeman Williams | SG | 23 | 82 | 82 | 2118 | 1526 | 192 | 166 | 72 | 9 | 171 | 1343 | 645 | 128 | 42 | 238 | 194 |
| Bingo Smith | SF | 33 | 70 | 70 | 1988 | 819 | 245 | 93 | 59 | 15 | 72 | 819 | 352 | 76 | 22 | 107 | 93 |
| Nick Weatherspoon | SF | 29 | 57 | 57 | 1124 | 391 | 208 | 54 | 34 | 17 | 86 | 378 | 164 | 0 | 0 | 91 | 63 |
| Stan Pietkiewicz | PG | 23 | 50 | 50 | 577 | 228 | 45 | 94 | 25 | 4 | 51 | 179 | 91 | 36 | 9 | 46 | 37 |
| Bill Walton | C | 27 | 14 | 14 | 337 | 194 | 126 | 34 | 8 | 38 | 37 | 161 | 81 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 32 |
| Marvin Barnes | PF | 27 | 20 | 20 | 287 | 64 | 77 | 18 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 60 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 16 |
| Steve Malovic | PF | 23 | 28 | 28 | 277 | 53 | 58 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 42 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 7 |
| Jerome Whitehead | C | 23 | 18 | 18 | 225 | 59 | 70 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 45 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 5 |
| Bob Carrington | SG | 26 | 10 | 10 | 134 | 36 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 37 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 6 |
| John Olive | SF | 24 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Team Totals | — | — | 82 | — | 19755 | 8820 | 3602 | 1688 | 664 | 288 | 1427 | 7494 | 3524 | 543 | 177 | 2167 | 1595 |
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 Scorer | 38.0 | High | 30.2 | 3.5 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 19.8 | Team’s offensive engine; high scoring and playmaking load, moderate defensive contribution. |
| Freeman Williams | Secondary Scorer | 25.8 | High | 18.6 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 11.5 | Efficient scoring off high usage; still developing playmaking; decent defensive activity. |
| Brian Taylor | Facilitator | 35.3 | Medium | 13.5 | 2.4 | 4.3 | 2.2 | 11.2 | Balanced playmaking and scoring; strong defensive presence for a guard. |
| Swen Nater | Rim Protector | 35.3 | Medium | 13.4 | 15.0 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 16.2 | Elite rebounder; low usage in scoring; impactful defensively around the rim. |
| Bill Walton | Impact Center | 24.1 | Medium | 13.9 | 9.0 | 2.4 | 3.3 | 14.8 | Limited games but extremely high per-minute impact; elite rim defense and rebounding. |
| Bingo Smith | Role Scorer | 28.4 | Medium | 11.7 | 3.5 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 8.8 | Reliable secondary scoring; low defensive impact; aging but consistent. |
| Joe Bryant | Stretch PF | 28.7 | Medium | 9.3 | 6.4 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 9.7 | Balanced rebounder with scoring off limited usage; contributes on both ends. |
| Sidney Wicks | Supporting PF | 30.2 | Low | 7.1 | 5.8 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 8.9 | Versatile forward; modest scoring but contributes through passing and defense. |
| Nick Weatherspoon | Bench Wing | 19.7 | Low | 6.9 | 3.6 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 5.7 | Spot minutes; low offensive usage; role-player defensive contributions. |
| Marvin Barnes | Fringe Contributor | 14.4 | Low | 3.2 | 3.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 4.0 | Limited minutes; occasional energy and rebound boosts. |
| Jerome Whitehead | Backup C | 12.5 | Low | 3.3 | 3.9 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 4.0 | Small sample; solid rebounding and shot-blocking for backup minutes. |
| Stan Pietkiewicz | Backup PG | 11.5 | Low | 4.6 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 3.5 | Minimal usage; occasional playmaking; primarily developmental role. |
| Steve Malovic | Deep Bench PF | 9.9 | Low | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 2.3 | Spot minutes; low impact; developmental stretch. |
| Bob Carrington | Fringe Guard | 13.4 | Low | 3.6 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 2.9 | Minimal contribution; low scoring and defensive presence. |
| John Olive | Limited Minutes | 15.0 | Low | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | Single appearance; negligible impact. |