Former names | Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center (planning phase) |
---|---|
Address | 3930 West Century Boulevard |
Location | Inglewood, California, U.S. |
Coordinates | 33°56′42″N118°20′35″W / 33.9451°N 118.3431°W |
Public transit | Downtown Inglewood Metro Local 212 from Hawthorne/Lennox |
Owner | Steve Ballmer (Murphy's Bowl, LLC) |
Capacity | 18,000 |
Field size | 915,000 sq ft (85,000 m2) |
Construction | |
Broke ground | September 17, 2021 |
Opened | August 15, 2024 |
Construction cost | $2 billion [1] |
Architect | AECOM [2] |
General contractor | AECOM Hunt Turner NBA JV |
Tenants | |
Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) 2024–present | |
Website | |
intuitdome |
Intuit Dome is an indoor arena in Inglewood, California. The stadium is located south of the other Inglewood sports venues, SoFi Stadium and the Kia Forum. It is the home venue of the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Clippers previously played games at Crypto.com Arena, a venue the team shared with the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL), from the 1999–2000 season through the 2023–24 season.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new arena was held on September 17, 2021. The arena opened on August 15, 2024, ahead of the 2024–25 NBA season. The arena will serve as a basketball venue during the 2028 Summer Olympics.
In 2017, the City of Inglewood approved an exclusive negotiating agreement with the Los Angeles Clippers to build a new, basketball-specific arena for the team, which would be located across from the then-under construction SoFi Stadium. [3] The Clippers had not had their own arena since they left the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in 1999 for Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena), which they shared with the Los Angeles Lakers and the NHL's Los Angeles Kings.
Throughout the team's history, it never had any tangible ownership interest in any of its home arenas. The Clippers instead rented its previous venues in Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium (as the Braves), where it held low priority beneath the Sabres and Canisius College's basketball program, then San Diego's Sports Arena when they became the Clippers, followed by the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.
Its previous deal with Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) allowed for a different Clipper court, and required a 'neutralization' process before and after each game to cover up and then restore Laker achievements, banners and sponsorships, along with setting its own court lighting pattern. In tightly-scheduled weekends, which included Kings games and musical concerts in addition to the Lakers, the process was often completed within a three to four hour window, including cleanup of the seating bowl from the previous event. [4] Clippers owner Steve Ballmer saw the construction of a dedicated arena for the team as being a high priority. [4] [5] [6]
Various lawsuits were filed to prevent the construction of the arena. Uplift Inglewood filed a lawsuit alleging that the agreement between the Clippers and Inglewood violated the state Surplus Land Act, which requires that proposals for affordable housing, recreation, and school projects be given preference when a city intends to sell its public land. [7] Mayor James T. Butts Jr. argued that the proposed site had already been deemed unsuitable for residential use due to its proximity to Los Angeles International Airport. [8]
The Madison Square Garden Company, owner of The Forum, a nearby arena in Inglewood that formerly served as the Lakers' home arena— were accused of using litigation to block the new arena, fearing that it would unduly compete with The Forum's live events business. [5] MSG paid the legal fees of Inglewood Residents Against Takings and Evictions (IRATE), another group that filed lawsuits opposing the arena. [7] In December 2018, the Clippers (via its subsidiary Murphy's Bowl, LLC) filed a countersuit against MSG over the matter. [5]
In March 2019, leaked emails revealed that MSG's Irving Azoff attempted to lure the Los Angeles Lakers back to The Forum after their lease of Staples Center was up. Despite nothing coming of the proposal, Azoff's proposal to re-purpose The Forum was seen as a way of preventing the LA Clippers from building their own arena in Inglewood and ensuring that the Madison Square Garden Company got an unfair advantage over rival AEG, which is a Lakers minority owner. [9] In November 2019, a judge ruled against Uplift Inglewood's lawsuit. [7] In December 2019, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved the new arena, after evaluating the arena's environmental impact. [10]
In March 2020, in a move to settle the litigation with MSG, Ballmer announced that he would acquire The Forum for $400 million in an all-cash deal. The sale was completed in May, with all existing employees retained under the new ownership. The acquisition of The Forum was considered to be the last major hurdle blocking the construction of the new arena. [11] [12]
A groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 17, 2021. Ballmer described a goal for the new arena to be a "basketball palazzo". [13] A 23-year naming rights deal for at least $500 million was announced with Mountain View, California based financial software company Intuit, naming the arena Intuit Dome. [14] On April 5, 2024, it was announced that Bruno Mars would open Intuit Dome with back-to-back shows on August 15 and 16, 2024. [15] [16] The Clippers played their first preseason game at the arena on October 14, winning 110–96 against the Dallas Mavericks. They played their first regular season game at the arena on October 23, against the Phoenix Suns, losing 116–113 in overtime in front of 18,300 fans. The Clippers would get their first regular season win at the arena on November 4, 2024 when they defeated the San Antonio Spurs 113–104. The UCLA Bruins men's basketball team will play at the arena against the Gonzaga Bulldogs on December 28. [17]
On July 25, 2019, the Clippers released renderings of the proposed arena. [18] The 18,000-seat arena was designed by AECOM. It includes a practice facility, sports medicine clinic, team offices, retail space, and a large outdoor plaza with basketball courts open to the public. [19] [20] [21]
The practice facility is 85,000 square feet (7,900 m2), the team offices 55,000 square feet (5,100 m2) and the sports medicine clinic 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2). An additional 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2) are set aside for retail and 260,000 square feet (24,000 m2) for the outdoor plaza. [19]
The Clippers have also launched a project where they display basketball jerseys from high schools across the state of California on the arena's rafters. [22]
The arena features a seating section known as "The Wall", 51 consecutive rows with no suites positioned on the baseline adjacent to the visitor’s bench exclusively reserved for Clippers fans. The section is similar to the "Yellow Wall" at Borussia Dortmund's Westfalenstadion in Dortmund, Germany. [23]
The arena also has over 1,100 toilets and urinals, three times the league average to allow fans to return to their seats quicker instead of waiting in long lines. [24]
The arena features a double-sided halo board similar to the one at neighboring SoFi Stadium. The video board designed by Daktronics, covers 38,375 square feet (3,565.2 m2) with a 4K resolution display. [25] During an unveiling event on July 19, 2024, Steve Ballmer demonstrated some of the features that are displayed on the screen including "player 360" which shows detailed player profiles and a section called "coaches corner" that displays advanced stats about the game. [26] The Halo Boards are also installed with T-shirt cannons capable of launching merchandise into the upper levels of the arena. [27]
The arena also has several pieces of public artwork:
Two hotels are expected to open near the arena in June 2026; a five-story Fairfield by Marriott adjacent to Intuit Dome's east garage, and a fifteen-story Arya Hotel south of the arena on 102nd Street. [28]
After the first regular season basketball game between the Clippers and Suns at Intuit Dome, Kevin Durant said, "Yeah, it was crazy. I was just staring at it the whole time. You're not used to that," referring to The Wall. Durant also mentioned that he had only experienced something similar once in college and that the noise "sounds a little different. It's going to be a tough road environment for anyone who comes in here." Devin Booker added, "You spend $2 billion, put a wall up." [29]
The arena will host the 2026 NBA All-Star Game on February 15, 2026. [30]
The arena will serve as a basketball venue during the 2028 Summer Olympics. [31]
Bruno Mars played the venue's inaugural shows on August 15 and 16, 2024 [15] followed by Marco Antonio Solís on August 18 for his Eternamente Agradecido tour, [32] Olivia Rodrigo for her Guts World Tour on August 20 and 21, [33] Contemporary Christian musicians Brandon Lake and Phil Wickham on August 22 as part of their Summer Worship Nights tour, [34] Peso Pluma on August 24 for his Éxodo Tour, [35] Twenty One Pilots on August 27 and 28 as part of The Clancy World Tour, [36] Future and Metro Boomin on August 31 for their We Trust You Tour, [37] NCT Dream on September 12 for their The Dream Show 3: Dream( )scape, [38] Slipknot on September 13 and 14 for their Here Comes the Pain Tour, [39] and Grupo Frontera on September 20 for their Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada Tour. [40]
Usher's Past Present and Future tour performed at the arena from September 21–25. [41] Elevation Worship performed on September 28. [42] Weezer's Voyage to the Blue Planet tour performed at Intuit Dome on October 11, [43] followed by Billy Joel the following night. [44] Ana Gabriel performed on October 19 for her Un Deseo Más tour, [45] followed by David Gilmour on October 25 for his Luck and Strange Tour, [46] and Tyler the Creator for the listening party of his eighth studio album Chromakopia on October 27. Fuerza Regida will perform on November 15 and 16 for their Pero No Te Enamores Tour. [47] Cyndi Lauper will perform at Intuit Dome on November 23 during her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour. [48]
Sebastian Maniscalco performed at Intuit Dome on August 17, 2024, as part of his It Ain't Right tour. [49] [15] Franco Escamilla performed on September 27, 2024. [50]
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The team plays at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, as of the 2024–25 NBA season. Previously, the Clippers played their home games at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles from 1999 to 2024, which they had shared with NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It is in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, near Los Angeles International Airport.
The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is the annual all-star game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. Since 2022, it was held on the third Sunday of February, the same day that the Daytona 500 was held, and one week after the Super Bowl. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, a three-day event which goes from Friday to Sunday. The All-Star Game was first played at the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951.
Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street, and has since been considered a part of L.A. Live. Owned and operated by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), it is the home venue of the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL)—which are both owned in part by AEG's founder Philip Anschutz, as well as the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks.
The Kia Forum, also known as Los Angeles Forum or formerly the Forum, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Inglewood, California, United States, adjacent to Los Angeles. Located on West Manchester Boulevard, with Pincay Drive to the south and between Kareem Court and Prairie Avenue to the east and west, it is north of SoFi Stadium and the Hollywood Park Casino, and about 3 miles (4.8 km) east of the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena was a multi-purpose arena at Exposition Park, in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. It was located next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and just south of the campus of the University of Southern California, which managed and operated both venues under a master lease agreement with the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission. The arena was closed in April 2016, and was demolished in September of that same year. It was replaced with BMO Stadium, home of Major League Soccer's Los Angeles FC, which opened in 2018.
Irving Azoff is an American businessman, who is chairman of Full Stop Management, a company that represents recording artists. During the course of his career, he has worked as an agent, personal manager, concert promoter, movie producer, independent record label owner, merchandiser, music publisher, and CEO of a record label.
The Greater Los Angeles area is home to many professional and collegiate sports teams and has hosted many national and international sporting events. The metropolitan area has twelve major league professional teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Rams, the Los Angeles Angels, the Los Angeles Chargers, the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles FC, the LA Galaxy, the Los Angeles Kings, the Anaheim Ducks, the Los Angeles Sparks, and Angel City FC of the National Women's Soccer League. The Los Angeles metropolitan area is home to nine universities whose teams compete in various NCAA Division I level sports, most notably the UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans. Between them, these Los Angeles area sports teams have won a combined 105 championship titles. Los Angeles area colleges have produced upwards of 200 national championship teams.
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. is an American sports holding company based in New York City.
For the 1984 Summer Olympics, a total of thirty-one venues were used. The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the Rose Bowl, two venues previously used for the 1932 Summer Olympics, were used for the 1984 Games. Between the 1932 and the 1984 Summer Olympics, the expansion of professional sports teams assisted in the growth of the facilities that would be used for the 1984 events. Only two new permanent venues were constructed, both using corporate sponsorship, though neither were mentioned in the official Olympic report. Many other venues had temporary adjustments and returned to their normal usage once the 1984 Olympics were completed. Stanford Stadium in Palo Alto and the Rose Bowl later served as venues for the Super Bowl, the FIFA World Cup, and the FIFA Women's World Cup.
James Thurman Butts Jr. is an American politician, currently serving as the mayor of Inglewood, California. He rose through the ranks of law enforcement in Inglewood during the 1970s and 1980s, eventually becoming a Deputy Chief. He then worked as the Chief of Police in Santa Monica, California from 1991 to 2006. Butts then took a public safety position with Los Angeles World Airports in 2006. He was elected mayor of Inglewood in 2010 and re-elected in 2014 with an 84% vote. He led efforts to renovate and reopen The Forum and develop a plan for SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome in Hollywood Park.
The Lakers–Clippers rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers. The two Pacific Division teams both play their home games in the Greater Los Angeles area, thus inspiring their matchups to sometimes be called the "Battle of L.A." The Lakers originally relocated from Minneapolis in 1960, while the Clippers moved from San Diego in 1984 after previously moving to San Diego from Buffalo, New York, while going away from the original Buffalo Braves name in 1978. While Los Angeles fans have historically favored the Lakers, the Clippers have sold out or filled capacity for every home game at Staples Center since Feb. 2011 and entered the 2016–17 season with the sixth-longest active sellout streak in the NBA, which continued up until the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lakers have won 12 of their 17 NBA championships since moving to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the Clippers have made the playoffs only eleven times since 1984 and remain arguably the least successful professional sports franchise in North America, and had never advanced past the second round of the playoffs until 2021. Some contended that the term rivalry was inaccurate due to the Lakers historical success and the Clippers historical lack of success. In the 2012–13 season, the Clippers won the first of six straight season series against the Lakers.
SoFi Stadium is a 70,240-seat sports and entertainment indoor-outdoor stadium in the Los Angeles County suburb of Inglewood, California, United States. SoFi occupies the former site of the Hollywood Park Racetrack, 0.15 miles (0.24 km) southeast of the Kia Forum, 0.2 miles (0.32 km) northwest of Intuit Dome, and 3 miles (4.8 km) from Los Angeles International Airport.
The Honey Training Center is a 42,500 square foot (3,950 m2) two-story training facility for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Located in the planned community of Playa Vista in Los Angeles near Loyola Marymount University, the facility is at least 1 mile (1.6 km) away from nearby beaches, 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Los Angeles International Airport, and 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Crypto.com Arena. While the team maintains some office functions at Crypto.com Arena, the Playa Vista facility serves as the official headquarters of the Clippers. The Honey Training Center is located 6 miles (9.7 km) northwest from the future Clippers arena in Inglewood, Intuit Dome.
The San Diego Clippers are a professional basketball team based in San Diego County, California, that competes in the NBA G League. The team plays its home games at Frontwave Arena. The Clippers began play in the 2017–18 season. The team is an affiliate of the National Basketball Association (NBA)'s Los Angeles Clippers.
The Inglewood Transit Connector Project was a proposed 1.6-mile (2.6 km) fully elevated, automated people mover system in Inglewood, California, that would have connected the Downtown Inglewood station on the K Line of the Los Angeles Metro Rail system to the major sports and entertainment venues in the city: Kia Forum, SoFi Stadium, Hollywood Park Casino, and Intuit Dome. The project was planned to break ground in 2024 and begin operations in late 2027, ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics that will use some of the venues. However, after funding rejections, the line is not likely to be built.
The 2024–25 Los Angeles Clippers season is the 55th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), their 47th season in Southern California, and their 1st season in Inglewood. The Clippers moved to the new Intuit Dome before the start of the season. On June 12, 2024, the NBA announced that the former great Lakers player and Clippers executive consultant Jerry West had passed away peacefully, only being months removed from his third and final entry into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Six days later, on June 18, Jeff Van Gundy would join the Clippers' coaching staff as an assistant coach, returning to a coaching staff for the first time since 2007. This will be the first season since 2018–19 without Paul George, as on June 30, the Clippers announced that he will not return to the franchise.