The Los Angeles Clippers are welcoming guests to their new home in the state-of-the-art $2 billion Intuit Dome. The site will provide the team with a dedicated space after years of sharing a court with their rivals, the Lakers, and serving as a venue for concerts and other events. The Inglewood arena’s inaugural event was a concert by Bruno Mars, and its first Clipper home game is set for October 23.
Steve Ballmer, the Clippers owner, wanted the Dome to provide an incredible experience to all who enter, saying, “Fans and players together deserve the ultimate home court. You’re going to have it here in Inglewood.”
Architecture Designed Around the Fan Experience
Located next to SoFi Stadium between the 405 and 110, the Intuit Dome is an unmistakable landmark resembling a gargantuan basketball net. A pedestrian bridge connects fan parking to the Dome’s plaza entrance. The plaza is all its own experience, featuring Roman-style steps, two bars, a restaurant, and a five-thousand-square-foot team store. Alongside an enormous screen and a suitably regulation-size basketball court made for public use are six public art installations contributed by local artists. The plaza is steeped in LA culture and is decorated with digital artwork and murals.
The inside of the Dome is designed to be a dream experience for fans and local basketball enthusiasts. Thousands of jerseys from California high school teams are displayed in frames throughout the primary concourse. The arena’s interior boasts an incredible forty-thousand-square-foot halo board made with over a quarter-billion LED lights, ensuring every fan in every seat has a clear view. Speaking of the seats, they’re made with fan comfort in mind, offering more legroom than any other venue in the NBA.
Ballmer credits his conversation with his former high school football coach with inspiring the fan-centric design. According to Ballmer, the 87-year-old calculus teacher told him, “Don’t forget the real fan. Don’t forget the folks who sit up high. Don’t make it all about the folks who are just paying a lot of money.” Inspired by the exchange, Ballmer says he made the “Real fan” a primary consideration of the arena’s design.
Fun and Excitement, but Also Sustainability
The Intuit Dome was also built with sustainability in mind, thanks to Ballmer’s insistence on carbon neutrality. The arena is covered in solar panels that offset much of its energy needs, with additional needs being sourced first from renewable providers. The building was further designed with energy-efficient cooling systems, and a surprising consideration even went into the very foundations of the building.
“We actually took carbon dioxide out of the environment,” says Ballmer, “and put it into the concrete foundation in this building.”
As an additional step to offset the impact of construction, the Clippers leaned into their nautical theme and purchased fuel-efficient tugboats for the Port of Los Angeles.
Great Times to Come at the Intuit Dome
Single-game tickets for the Clippers have yet to be available, but season memberships can be purchased on the Intuit Dome site. Other upcoming events include performances by Olivia Rodrigo and Usher. With tickets, guests can look forward to grabbing concessions from fully automated grab-and-go markets throughout the arena and heading to their comfortable seats for a state-of-the-art entertainment experience.
