Steve Ballmer is wearing a black construction hard hat and yellow safety vest as he stands in a cavernous area near the loading dock of the Intuit Dome.
The LA Clippers owner is familiar with the layout of the area. Ballmer points out one detail in the design plans of the Clippers' new home when he visits the construction site monthly.
During a tour of the construction site in late July, Ballmer said there are back halls in the arena that connect locker rooms.
We do not want that. I'm just saying that. Is that something you would like to discuss? There should be no back hallways between locker rooms.
Sorry, Chris Paul, but the NBA's richest owner isn't sparing any detail when it comes to his more than $2 billion privately funded arena. Ballmer's fingerprints are all over the new sports palace, which will be located across the street from the more than $5 billion Sofi Stadium, with input on everything from the 38,300 square foot halo-shapedLED board to the 640 restrooms.
Ballmer has spent a lot of money on the Clippers. He has built an organization that is poised to compete for the title with Leonard expected to come back from an injury. The Clippers aren't just trying to win a title. They have to live in a city that is purple and gold.
Even if it means planting the Clippers logo in a lot of pavement, Ballmer is trying to change that. The renovation of 350 public basketball courts in Los Angeles, each with a Clippers logo on it, was celebrated by him and his wife. A futuristic L.A. landmark that will be designed to give fans every comfort in hopes of developing an actual home-court advantage is in the works.
When Ballmer was asked if he could have imagined the Clippers having their own home, he said it would be cool. It has to be. This is a laker town. It is not possible to say yes. The town is called Laker-Clipper.
Someday I would like to say Clipper-Laker.
Ballmer got so excited at the games that he ripped his shirt. It's a good thing he has a hard hat on because he can barely stay on his feet when he talks about his new prize.
Ballmer says "Hey look, we're nobody's little brother" "We're a group of people."
While the concrete frame foundation is being built there is one area where steel beams rise up. There is a sign that says "The Wall" here.
Ballmer likes to call it the wall of sound, where 5,000 fans will fill 51 rows to create a student section feel. The Clippers brought in sound experts from The Forum to improve acoustics and make The Wall formidable of a home-court advantage.
Ballmer can see that The Wall will come to life now that he has seen the digital rendering. There is a basketball court marked in green at the bottom of The Wall.
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Ballmer sees what he wants to see and hear from the 18,000 fans that will be in attendance, but he also sees what he wants to hear from this specific area.
Ballmer pointed to the baseline where his courtside seat will be underneath a basket and said, "You just look 51 rows straight up, literally stands all the way to here."
"''Clips!'" Ballmer's voice deepened as he shouted. "Let's go!"
At least 16 NBA arenas and venues were visited by Ballmer and the Clippers. The Utah Jazz have one of the loudest crowds in the league and members of the organization went to see them. The regular-season and playoffs were held in Toronto, Minnesota, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Phoenix, Golden State and Portland.
Ballmer said you just copy ideas. The guys have a place to practice. It's possible to copy that idea. The guys have a lot of room. These guys have a lot of space. It's very important. We want our players to know that. Because we're in California, we're going to have a rehabilitation pool outside.
Ballmer is obsessed with details, such as how to get fans to the bathroom or to concessions without missing a game. He wants fans to be able to pay for concessions using technology that will create a hassle-free experience and allow them to pick their own food. There will be game clocks around the arena to alert fans when play will resume.
Ballmer has tried to give the best that money can buy since he purchased the Clippers. He hasn't been able to give his team its own place to call home because it shares the same arena with the Lakers, NHL's Kings and the NBA's Sparks.
The Clippers won't have to worry about having to play on a Saturday or Sunday.
This can affect a team's title pursuit. Fewer fans can be drawn by the early starts.
Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts thinks the Clippers will have fans in their own city. Butts wasn't interested in what it would mean for the Clippers to have their own arena.
"Well, first of all, I don't believe that's true," Butts said when he and Ballmer celebrated the completion of the Intuit Dome's concrete frame. The Lakers are in Los Angeles.
We have a lot of Clipper fans. This is going to be the most exciting basketball arena in the world.
Ballmer walks up a dirt ramp back to the top when he is asked about the Clippers' journey towards trying to win a championship.
The 4th year of the Leonard-Paul George era will be this year. The Clippers made their first-ever Western Conference finals in 2020-21 but injuries and the challenges of the COVID-19 epidemic have delayed their championship hopes.
Leonard hasn't played in a game in over a year. George missed a lot of last season because of an elbow injury, but he was limited to just 31 games in the next two years. George was out for the Clippers' play-in loss to New Orleans due to chronic bronchitis.
The Clippers are one of the favorites to win it all and Ballmer is very excited. We have a very good team. We would like to compete for titles. Two years ago, we were in a good position. Without your best player, it's difficult.
Ballmer says it's difficult to win an NBA title. A man who's done it twice. You have to have one of those.
Ballmer is aware that his team needs a home. He will have that in a couple of years.
Ballmer peered out from where the club level will be and looked down toward a chalk dirt outline of where the basketball court would be.
Ballmer says this is his home.
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