The Clippers "unveiled the first look at their proposed Inglewood arena," an 18,500-seat, $1B project that will be "paid for" by Chair Steve Ballmer, according to Mirjam Swanson of the ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER. The Clippers are "confident" construction on the arena will begin on time in '21, and that the arena will "open three years later, when their Staples Center lease is up." Ballmer plans to "privately finance" the Inglewood Basketball & Entertainment Complex, which would "house all of the Clippers' operations, from corporate headquarters to the team's training facility." The team currently "practices in Playa Vista, has its business office in downtown" L.A. and plays at Staples Center. The renderings unveiled on Thursday "indicated the finished site -- which is being developed by Wilson Meany -- will include parks and educational facilities, restaurants and businesses and an indoor court available to the community." Outside of the arena, a "giant LED screen would create a viewing area similar" to the Raptors' Jurassic Park outside Scotiabank Arena. The 900,000-square-foot arena has an "exterior that will include solar panels and is designed to symbolize the diamond shapes in a basketball net." One of the facility's "most striking features, intended to highlight the temperate climate of Southern California, is the integration of indoor/outdoor 'sky gardens.'" These "landscaped areas for food and beverage will be accessible from every concourse level" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 7/26).
COLLEGE ATMOSPHERE: ESPN.com's Ohm Youngmisuk notes Ballmer "visited 13 to 15 NBA arenas and facilities," including Fiserv Forum, in "hopes of finding inspiration for what he wants his arena to look and feel like." For fans and players, Ballmer wants the new facility to "sound and feel like a college basketball arena, complete with deafening home-court advantage." On one end of the court, behind the basket, Ballmer "wants stands that go from the bottom to the top, without any suites or tiers, to simulate something like a student section in a college fieldhouse." Ballmer calls it "the wall of sound." Ballmer said, "I want it to be a noisy building. I really want that kind of energy; think Oracle (Arena) has been that way, Utah, Portland has got good energy" (ESPN.com, 7/26).
TRENDY NEIGHBORHOOD: Ballmer said that the Clippers have "sought their own arena because they are the third tenant at Staples Center, which affects available dates for scheduling and revenue." Ballmer: "When I bought the team I thought it was great we didn't need to build an arena. But as we look forward we were at some disadvantages in Staples Center." He added the Inglewood arena is a "way for us to define our own identity." In L.A., Andrew Grief notes the complex would "sit across the street" from the Rams' and Chargers' Inglewood stadium, which is set to open in '20. It is also "less than a mile from the Forum," whose owner, MSG Co., "remains engaged in a bitter legal fight with Ballmer over the land." An "environmental review of the land is still pending," but Ballmer "expressed confidence construction will begin" by the middle of '21 (L.A. TIMES, 7/26).
A PLACE TO CALL THEIR OWN: The AP's Greg Beacham noted the Clippers' Staples Center "third-team status likely harms" their revenue and sponsorship opportunities, and "perpetuates the waning perception of this formerly struggling franchise as a secondary team in its own city." Ballmer is "eager to have a state-of-the-art new home as another jewel in the Clippers' remarkable renaissance since he took over" (AP, 7/25). Ballmer said, "This will be our new home. Hockey?" He then "thrust his thumb to the sky, the international symbol for you're-outta-here" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 7/26).
Clippers Inglewood Arena Renderings
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