• Loading stock data...
Saturday, August 9, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

Roommates With Lakers No More, Clippers Debut Shiny $2B Home

  • The Intuit Dome hosts its first of many regular-season games Wednesday as the Clippers welcome the Suns.
  • The Clippers shared Crypto.com Arena with the Lakers for 25 years.
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Clippers have played second fiddle to the Lakers in Los Angeles for decades, and the gap continues to exist despite continued efforts by the Clippers to distinguish themselves since Steve Ballmer acquired the team in 2014.

Through two eras—one with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, another with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George—the Clippers have changed their on-court perception from cellar dwellers to consistent winners over the last decade. But the Clippers have failed to accomplish much in games that truly matter, outside of a 30–9 record against the Lakers.

And they’ve had to play kid roommate to the Lakers in sharing the iconic former Staples Center, now Crypto.com Arena, in downtown Los Angeles with the Lakers for the last 25 years. 

Now the Clippers have moved out. 

The team finally has a home of their own, as they play their first regular-season game at the Intuit Dome: a state-of-the-art, $2 billion arena in Inglewood, right near The Forum, which served as the home of the Lakers until 1999.

“The entire building focus is all about creating a home-court advantage for our team,” Gillian Zucker, CEO of Halo Sports and Entertainment, parent company of the Clippers and Intuit Dome, tells Front Office Sports.

The Clippers taking a piece of Lakers history to launch a new chapter is fitting, as the Intuit Dome symbolizes the team’s modern approach to attracting a fan base in Los Angeles—a direct contrast to the Purple and Gold, a family-owned franchise that lives and breathes history and legacy.

Crypto.com Arena, originally named Staples Center, was built in 1999, and does not have close to the number of bells and whistles of the Intuit Dome. Still, a Laker game remains a spectacle, with A-List celebrities and fans from all over the world lining up to see the franchise.

But as the Clippers continue to try to build a championship team on the court—which Zucker says is “inevitable” despite the team’s track record—the Intuit Dome’s pageantry can serve as its own spectacle.

Zucker says the team is too busy with its arena launch to focus on their crosstown rivals. But she admits the Intuit Dome, which comes just months after the team announced a full rebrand, is the beginning of a new chapter for the Clippers.

“People think of today as being the end of something. We think of today as being the start of something,” Zucker said.

Los Angeles Grandeur 

As the arena waited on Tuesday for its big regular-season coming out party, its gaudy technological features were on full display. The stadium is so high-tech that AT&T CEO John Stankey boasted on a podcast over the summer, “We’ve taken some of the most robust fiber infrastructure in Los Angeles that AT&T has and… we put seven and a half miles of fiber in.”

Some of the most intriguing tech elements include facial recognition used in team stores and concession areas, and video-game buttons on chairs for fans to participate in games played on a one-acre halo board.

The tech may not be perfect by Wednesday, as the facial recognition system created massive delays during a Bruno Mars concert in August. But it’s just one part of the growing pains of grandiose attempts at development. 

“I’ve checked on everyone with the team. There’s tremendous confidence around here and a lot of excitement. With anything like this, there can be things that surprise you along the way, but we’ve got the best of the best, and I think we’re ready to take any challenge that comes our way,” Zucker said.

Ballmer told ESPN while he doesn’t see any glitches happening, he’s a little nervous. “I’ll probably hold my breath a little,” he said.

The venue also features a massive plaza with a full-sized, public basketball court, and decked-out amenities in the visitors’ locker rooms and referees’ holding room.

Will the Clippers have a season on the court that matches the new opulence around it? If they don’t, the jokes will come quickly: that the new arena is the only exciting thing the team has going for it. But Ballmer has spared no expense.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story indicated the Intuit Dome had been built where The Forum stood. The Forum is an active venue.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Dec 14, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; President Donald Trump wave during the second quarter of the game between the Navy Midshipmen and the Army Black Knights at Lincoln Financial Field

‘Political Gold’: Trump Putting His Stamp on College Sports 

Trump has embraced executive action on hot-button college sports issues.
Chad Ochocinco

Shannon Sharpe, Chad Ochocinco Settle $20 Million Defamation Suit 

It’s the second multimillion-dollar lawsuit Sharpe has settled in recent weeks.

WNBA Struggling to Prevent Repeat Dildo Incidents

The league appears to have no answers to the copycats plaguing games.
NC State

NC State ‘Cardiac Pack’ Team Loses NCAA Suit for NIL Back Pay

The 1983 team was among college basketball’s greatest Cinderella stories. 

Featured Today

Inked Under Anesthesia: Athletes Getting $50,000 Tattoos

High-end studios, elite artist teams, and hours under anesthesia.
Coco Gauff at New York Liberty
August 2, 2025

How the New York Liberty Became the Hottest Ticket in Town

Once banished to the burbs, the Libs are now Brooklyn’s marquee attraction.
Las Vegas sign
July 29, 2025

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Jan 16, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Micah Parsons (11) meets with owner Jerry Jones (center) and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (right) prior to the NFC Wild Card playoff football game against the San Francisco 49ers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory

Micah Parsons and 6 Other Cowboys Holdouts—and How the Standoffs Ended

A brief history of Dallas Cowboys contractual disputes.
August 5, 2025

Spurs Are Spending Big Now, but Can They Afford Their Future?

San Antonio traded for Fox in February ahead of the trade deadline.
August 6, 2025

Former Heat Security Guard Indicted in $2M Memorabilia Scheme

He is accused of stealing more than 400 game-worn jerseys and other memorabilia, prosecutors say.
Sponsored

Hottest Matchups Following NFL Schedule Release

The NFL released the 2025 regular-season schedule, and anticipation is already building in the ticket marketplace with four months to go.
August 5, 2025

Mammoth vs. Mammoth: NHL Team Strikes First in Trademark Feud

The Utah NHL team announced its new name in May.
August 2, 2025

Bengals Extend Stadium Lease After $350M in Public Funds for Renovation

The Bengals will stay in the 25-year-old stadium through at least 2036.
August 1, 2025

Commanders Seal Stadium Deal As D.C. Approves $1.1B in Funding

The NFL team’s return to its prior home receives key political support.
July 31, 2025

Ferrari Extends F1 Boss Weeks After Red Bull Fire Horner

Fred Vasseur joined Ferrari in 2023.