Chicago Bulls legend and NBA Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen thinks the Los Angeles Clippers are better than the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Clippers signed two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard this summer and traded for All-Star small forward Paul George. The Lakers, meanwhile, acquired star big man Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Clippers won 48 games last season without a single All-Star on the roster and took the Golden State Warriors to six games in the first round of the 2019 playoffs. Pippen says the Clips “have too many guys they can throw” at Lakers star LeBron James on defense. LA has three elite defenders in Leonard, George and Patrick Beverley:

“I would probably say the Clippers just because of where they were last year and the players that they have,” Pippen told Drew Ruiz of SLAM. “They already have the confidence and feel like last year they dominated the Lakers. Now, you give them the Finals MVP and one of the top defenders in the game in Paul George. That sends their confidence up through the roof. With the Lakers, I don’t think a guy going into his 17th season can really carry a team the way he needs to carry [it].

“I think LeBron will be competitive. Having Anthony Davis out there is going to give him a bit of an edge. I think they’re going to be a lot more in terms of when they face the Clippers because they have too many guys they can throw at LeBron. They already have thrown Beverly at him, so now you got Kawhi to throw at him, Paul George to throw at him. Anthony Davis is going to be a tough matchup night in and night out, but he’s only one player.

“LeBron James is not going to be a tough matchup. He’s going into his 17th year in the League. You’re talking about Kawhi who’s still in his 20s [and] Paul George is probably still in his 20s. It’s a changing of the guard and they’re probably going to have the pass the torch over and let the Clippers be the best team in Los Angeles.”

For the first time ever, both the Clippers and Lakers are title contenders at the same time.

Basketball in Los Angeles is going to be really exciting next season.