Clippers’ Steve Ballmer thrilled to break ground on Intuit Dome

LOS ANGELES — Steve Ballmer would similar not to perceive immoderate much speculation astir whether the Clippers mightiness someday beryllium headed north.

“Obviously, we’re not moving the squad to Seattle,” the Clippers proprietor said successful an interrogation with bushed reporters astatine the team’s offices successful downtown L.A. connected Thursday – the eve of Friday’s groundbreaking for the new, privately funded, $1.8 billion, state-of-the-art Intuit Dome successful Inglewood, wherever his Clippers are scheduled to statesman playing location games successful 2024.

“I don’t cognize if anyone’s gonna bring that up again,” Ballmer said. “I anticipation not.”

Intuit volition person naming rights to the arena, agreeing with the Clippers connected a 23-year concern that starts now, arsenic operation begins connected the astir 18,000-seat venue and surrounding grooming facility, squad bureau space, aesculapian session and outdoor plaza that volition incorporated retail, nutrient and a hoops court.

“Steve wanted a marque helium admired, that valued innovation, that cared astir customers,” said Clippers president of concern operations Gillian Zucker, who led a circuit Thursday astir a level of the team’s downtown L.A. offices acceptable up to exemplary features of the arena.

“He wanted a marque that cared astir assemblage … and a marque that looked bully with our colors.”

Ballmer said the caller arena’s determination – on Century Boulevard adjacent Prairie Avenue, crossed the thoroughfare from SoFi Stadium, which houses the NFL’s Rams and Chargers – is what helium desired too.

There were delays successful securing it, mostly due to the fact that of a ineligible tiff with the erstwhile owners of The Forum adjacent – a conflict that ended erstwhile Ballmer bought the iconic performance venue for $400 million.

“I truly wanted to beryllium westbound of the 110 (Freeway), southbound of the 10 and northbound of the 105 – and determination conscionable aren’t that galore locations,” Ballmer said. “We saw immoderate locations that were extracurricular and I deliberation radical would’ve said, ‘Well, you’re not truly successful L.A. anymore if we’re playing successful Carson. I conscionable deliberation radical deliberation astir those things differently. Especially for basketball, erstwhile you’ve got 41 location games arsenic opposed to having eight.”

And L.A. is the spot to equine a superior hoops title pursuit, Ballmer believes.

“If you privation to beryllium the astir competitory you can, this is the champion marketplace successful the satellite to get escaped agents,” helium said, contemplating prospects for his squad aft it reached the Western Conference finals for the archetypal clip past season, some this upcoming play (without injured prima Kawhi Leonard), and afterward.

“I don’t spot immoderate crushed wherefore we should ever not person a bully team.”

Once they determination into their gleaming caller digs, the Clippers won’t suffer, schedule-wise, from being prioritized third, arsenic they are astatine Staples Center, wherever they’ve played since it opened successful 1999, but which besides houses the NHL’s Kings, the NBA’s Lakers and the WNBA’s Sparks.

“I knew we were the 3rd tenant, I didn’t truly cognize what that meant from a docket perspective,” Ballmer said. “I hadn’t thought astir it erstwhile I bought the squad and past you play much and much 12:30 Saturday day games and it’s harder to get fans successful the building. You play Monday nighttime against ‘Monday Night Football,’ it’s harder to get fans successful the building. You’re not successful connected Friday nights, which is simply a large night.”

That tin alteration successful 2024-25 erstwhile the Clippers debut their building, which volition beryllium highlighted by a seating statement that features a conception of 51 uninterrupted rows of seats seating astir 5,000 fans successful an effort to make a “wall” of sound. Also: a two-sided “Halo Board,” an oval scoreboard with 7,000 quadrate feet of LED lights that volition bent implicit the tribunal without blocking immoderate sightlines.

Fans tin besides look guardant to no-checkout concessions (“technology willing,” Zucker said) and being capable to find a bath adjacent nary substance wherever they are (the Clippers accidental the 1,500 toilets volition beryllium much than treble the fig per idiosyncratic successful immoderate different NBA arena). It’s each designed to get fans backmost into their seats arsenic rapidly arsenic possible, enjoying bully basketball.