The hard days of being a Los Angeles Clippers fan could be over very soon.

In one fell swoop, the Clippers signed two-time Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard and traded for six-time All-Star Paul George. With the Kawhi domino finally fallen, the Clippers can now enter the 2019-20 NBA season as a venerated franchise expected to very much compete for the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Sports Illustrated profiled super fan “Clipper” Darrell Bailey, the Staples Center mainstay and season ticket holder, who's extremely enthusiastic about the future of the team and excited for this next generation of Clippers basketball.

With Leonard and George, the Clippers’ days as a dark horse are mercifully over. “Championship, baby,” Bailey cooed. “This is the best Clippers team ever assembled. Defensively, you can’t even compare it to no other team. We finally got what we wanted. We got a strong team with a strong defense, a strong offense, that plays as a team, that’s gonna win as a team and lose as a team.”

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When the Clippers brought on the experienced Jerry West in as an executive for the team, many tuned into the league believed it was to pursue top free agents. West, the Lakers legend and NBA logo, previously worked in the front office for the purple and gold Los Angeles team, helping land Shaquille O'Neal in 1996, and the Golden State Warriors, where he helped the franchise sign Kevin Durant in 2016.

“Clipper” Darrell was very aware of West and the presence he brought to the Clippers' front office.

“I believe in Jerry West. I believe in The Logo,” he said. He knew of Leonard’s notable hushed nature, and long saw a seamless fit with LA’s pacified franchise. “It’s just all about telling the people what you expect from ‘em, what they expect from you, you know what I’m saying?” Bailey said. “[Leonard] don’t want his business out in the streets, fine. You see how everything happened. Nobody knew nothing. And PG was a surprise. That was just icing on the cake.”

Bailey will continue attending games despite the expected increase in ticket prices, and the future looks bright for a Leonard and George–led Clippers team.