The Los Angeles Clippers' dream of getting their own arena is getting closer to becoming a reality. On Tuesday afternoon, th Inglewood City Council voted unanimously to approve the Clippers' future arena, the Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center (IBEC).
With the vote, the franchise is fully entitled the world-class campus that will include an 18,000-seat basketball arena, a team practice facility, and corporate offices for the Clippers.
“Today is a new chapter for the Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center, as we move from the land use entitlement process and look toward construction,” said Gillian Zucker, Clippers President of Business Operations, in the press release. “Every part of IBEC is being designed with purpose – with an unapologetic intensity that will define the experience together for players, musical talent and fans alike. This arena will prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that there is no replacement for live basketball and entertainment.”
The publicly owned property within the arena site will be purchased by Murphy's Bowl, the entity developing the Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center, for a whopping $66.25 million.
Via the press release on the new arena:
The privately-financed IBEC project will include a world-class facility that is uniquely designed to prioritize fan comfort and ease, player experience, home court advantage and community. IBEC will reimagine live entertainment, creating a new standard for live experiences all on its own. The one-of-a-kind facility will be set within an open, indoor-outdoor atmosphere that showcases what the world loves best about Southern California. The campus in Inglewood will serve as a hub that brings the Clippers organization together, with a new team practice facility and corporate offices. The project, expected to break ground in summer of 2021, will open for the start of the 2024-25 NBA season.
Almost a year ago, when the Clippers were holding their training camp in Hawaii, owner Steve Ballmer sat down with members of the media over lunch to discuss some wide-ranging topics. Among the things he mentioned was his fascination with the Clippers' current arena situation.
“This crazy LA place,” Ballmer said before pausing. “You’ve got two teams because it’s so damn big and you’ll get folks who are pretty rabid. They read the same publications. Sometimes, when they play each other, they come to games, you run into somebody on the street.
“The fact we play in the same building, we get the worst nights. It’s Monday Night Football? Who's gonna play? The Clippers. That’s true by lease. Our lease says we get the least favorable nights after the Kings and the Lakers. That’s an unusual thing. If you look at all the statues that are outside, you’re not gonna see any Clippers statues out, so there’s that. There’s the aspect of being the team that has not had the big success. You have people in the same community that pick teams. That’s odd. You don’t get quite the sense that everybody’s coming together. I’m not saying it’s bad, but it was certainly an adjustment for me, something for me to get my mind around like, ‘What do you mean you’re not cheering for our team?'”
If there were any doubts about Ballmer's determination to get an arena deal done in a quick manner, look no further than his decision to drop $400 million in cash to purchase The Forum from James Dolan and the Madison Square Garden Company back in May.
The deal gives Ballmer's CAPSS LLC. control of The Forum, which will operate and allow for coordinated programming once the IBEC opens next door to it. The goal of having both arenas running would be to improve traffic congestion around any basketball games and concerts. All current employees at The Forum will be extended employment offers by the new owner, CAPSS LLC.
The Clippers are in good hands. Given the turnover in today's NBA, there's a decent chance none of the players on the current roster will even be here by the time the new arena opens. The hope, however, is that the organization can open up their doors with a championship banner in their rafters at the very least.
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