OCEANSIDE — Long before he made his NBA debut, Kobe Sanders was a San Diego kid dreaming of an opportunity.
“As a little kid, I used to act like I was playing in the NBA in the yard with my brother (Gage),” Sanders said before tipoff of the Los Angeles Clippers’ 142-95 exhibition win over the Chinese Basketball Association’s Guangzhou Loong Lions on Thursday night at Frontwave Arena. “So to be in this moment now, and have my brother in the crowd, my parents in the crowd, it’s amazing.”
Thursday’s contest marked the second consecutive preseason the Clippers opened in Oceanside. The preseason sojourn south from Los Angeles is part of the franchise reestablishing ties to San Diego, where the Clippers played from 1978 to 1984. Oceanside is home of the G League’s San Diego Clippers, the NBA club’s minor-league affiliate.
The rookie Sanders welcomed fans to Frontwave before Thursday’s tip-off, one year after Lincoln High School graduate Norman Powell did the same.
Sanders attended Christian High School from 2016 to 2020, averaging 16.7 points per game as a senior. He also played for Gamepoint Basketball, an Oceanside-based club team that played weekend games at Alliant International University in Scripps Ranch.
A 6-foot-9, 207-pound guard, Sanders spent four years at Cal Poly and last year at Nevada, earning All-Mountain West honors in his final season. The New York Knicks took Sanders in the second round (50th overall pick) of this year’s draft, then immediately traded him to the Clippers for 51st overall pick Mohamed Diawara and the rights to Luka Mitrović.
Sanders and the Clippers agreed to a two-way contract in July.
Sanders may have to be patient. The NBA club is relying heavily on veterans this season, including former San Diego State star Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Chris Paul, Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez and John Collins.
Lopez and Collins led a second unit that fueled a 42-8 third quarter on Thursday, pushing Los Angeles past a Lions team replete with NBA talent. The Chinese squad featuring former All-Star Victor Oladipo, eight-season veteran Frank Kaminsky and 2015 NBA champion Justin Holiday trailed by just five points at halftime.
Los Angeles’ dominant period paved the way for Sanders to log his first professional minutes. He checked in at the start of the fourth quarter and immediately went to work.
Sanders came away with a steal and fired an assist to a streaking Yanic Konan Niederhauser for a breakaway dunk. One possession later, Sanders knocked down his first NBA basket: a 3-pointer from the right wing. He added another triple from the left corner and fed Niederhauser for another dunk off an alley-oop. Sanders finished his NBA preseason debut with six points and three assists in 12 minutes.
Sanders averaged 15.8 points and 4.5 assists last year at Nevada. But it was his effort in July’s Summer League and offseason work with the Clippers that earned him the two-way deal. He is likely to spend time with both the Los Angeles and San Diego Clippers during the regular season
“After summer coming in and getting work in with (the coaching staff), he really improved,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “He took huge steps and came into training camp having confidence, seeing how he needs to play and seeing what the life is like in the NBA.”
Sanders said he’s “blessed” to spend every day with the 34-year-old Leonard, 36-year-old Harden and 40-year-old Paul. The rookie said he’s “trying to be as much of a sponge as I can.”
Paul made his return to the Clippers with Thursday’s game, rejoining the club he captained from 2011 to 2017. Paul was in Sanders’ position as rookie 20 years ago. Hr offered a dap and words of encouragement to the San Diegan during the pregame layup line.
“Be ready,” Sanders said Paul told him. “He’s been in my ear this whole time, and I’ve played point guard (in training camp), so he’s taken me under his wing, kind of.”
The sold-out Frontwave Arena crowd let out some of the biggest cheers of the night when Paul checked in to begin the second quarter, kicking off a 15-point, six-rebound, four-assist night.
The audience also erupted each time Leonard scored; the Aztecs great finished with a team-high 18 points.
For the San Diego spectators, which included no shortage of young hoop dreamers like Sanders once was, it was a thrill to see NBA players up close.
“As a kid here, you look up to these players, but never really had access to (them),” Sanders said. “So being able to be in this place, it means a lot. And being able to be someone they can look to and see I was in a similar situation to them, it’s special.”