Steve Ballmer, chairman of the LA Clippers, initially wanted to play at Staples Center. This is the same building that houses the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers. He bought the franchise in 2014 for $2 billion.
Ballmer stated that he knew within one year that the Clippers would need to build their stadium if they were to create their "identity."
"We had to be able to say, "We are our own guys." We don't play at the same level as the other players. Inglewood's new arena for the Clippers will be our own.
The @IntuitDome is now available.
Future home for the LA Clippers. LA Clippers (@LAClippers September 17, 2021
Ballmer estimates that the Intuit Dome, the new arena, will cost him more than $2 billion. This is the exact same price Ballmer paid seven years ago for the franchise. But he believes it is crucial to the Clippers' success.
Ballmer stated, "I have never been to a place that had two teams in one town." "I was raised in Detroit. Everyone is a Pistons fan. The Clippers were terrible enough for so many years that everyone could ignore them.
"We are good now and we will be good every year. We are going to build our own building. More of our identity, more our personality. Some of the fans on either side are saying, "What?" You dare to question our supremacy?' We do.
"There are 30 teams in this league. There are 29 more. We got one, and it happens to be located in L.A. So we have our fans. Our expression is "LA Our Way." We are building our own identity, presence. The other guys may feel threatened by us -- I'm referring to the fans of the other guys; the players are a bit different -- but that's okay. It's a sign that we are doing good."
Intuit Arena Courtesy LA Clippers
Despite losing star forward Kawhi Leonard in the second round to a knee injury, the Clippers reached their first Western Conference finals.
Leonard, who had his partially torn right ACL surgically repaired in offseason, will miss most of the 2021-22 seasons as he recuperates. Ballmer stated that he is still hopeful that the team will build on its playoff success last season.
Ballmer stated, "Every year, I want to win." "Some people will say, "We're taking another step back" or "We were injured in the past year." No. No. We had to make some adjustments. We were able to get Kawhi back to health. We'll be back to full strength when he returns."
Leonard was signed to a four year, $176.3 million contract by the Clippers. In a deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, they also acquired guard Eric Bledsoe. They'll mostly return the same roster from last season, with Leonard omitted for as long as his rehabilitation continues.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is optimistic, even though Kawhi Leonard will miss a lot of the season. He stated, "Every year, I want to win." "... We can all count on our fans to win as many games as possible every year. Adam Pantozzi/NBAE/Getty Images
Ballmer admitted that he often thinks about what might've been if Leonard wasn't hurt.
Ballmer stated, "It was difficult." "Painful to Kawhi, painful and difficult for our team, for me, for my fans, and most importantly for us. We gave it a try. It was a great effort. Even without Kawhi, we managed to beat Utah.
"I was proud to be a part of the team. Even without Kawhi, we were within a few seconds of taking care the Western Conference finals. We will see when he returns, but for next year we have the majority of the same team. I remain optimistic." I remain optimistic."
Ballmer, 65 years old, has made the new arena his passion project. He retired in 2013 as Microsoft's CEO and was ranked eighth in the world last month by Bloomberg with an estimated net worth of $108.5 billion.
He was determined to make the NBA's most comfortable and state-of the-art arena.
Ballmer bought the Forum in Inglewood for $400 million cash from James Dolan, owner of New York Knicks. This move removed the legal obstacles that had been preventing the construction of a new arena close to the music venue.
Ballmer stated that he traveled the country for years to study stadiums and arenas. He was inspired by places like the student section at Duke, which will be reflected in 51 rows of the stadium.
The design is also influenced by his personal fan experience. Ballmer believes that fans should be in their seats and cheer as much as they can. To minimize time fans spend away from their seats, Ballmer says that the Intuit Dome will offer more legroom than any other arena, double the amount of toilets, and no checkout lines at concession stands. (Everything can be ordered online).
Ballmer stated, "I get energy from the building." "But people leave and get late for games or don't return from halftime. "I really want people to be in their seats, so that we can all benefit from the energy."
