LOS ANGELES – LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, through the newly formed CAPSS LLC, announced the completion of the purchase of The Forum from Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. on Monday afternoon. The move eliminates a huge barrier in Ballmer's plans to build the new state-of-the-art, 18,000 seat Clippers Arena in Inglewood, with the hope to break ground by 2021 and open in 2024.

The Forum, which has been a legendary music and event venue to the city of Los Angeles for decades, will remain operational, and all staff are expected to remain employees of Forum Entertainment LLC.

“We are excited to welcome The Forum to our family,” Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker said in the press release. “The talented team at The Forum has created a world-class live entertainment venue, and we are committed to building upon that reputation.”

“Having The Forum just a short distance from the L.A. Clippers' new arena will give us the opportunity to provide the City of Inglewood with a number of benefits, including a collaborative approach to managing traffic and community activities.”

Both sides reached an agreement on the sale of The Forum back on on March 24th for a whopping $400 million in cash. James Dolan and MSG had been complicating Ballmer's plans for the Inglewood arena over the last year, so Ballmer essentially decided to get rid of the problem by purchasing The Forum.

“This is an unprecedented time, but we believe in our collective future,” Steve Ballmer said back in March. “We are committed to our investment in the City of Inglewood, which will be good for the community, the Clippers, and our fans.”

Having The Forum under the same ownership group will allow for ‘coordinated programming between the two venues, improving traffic congestion around basketball games and concerts' once the Clippers new arena is up and running.

The LA Clippers were in the midst of their most anticipated season in franchise history. After landing 2-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and trading for six-time All-Star Paul George, the Clippers were a top three championship contender alongside the Milwaukee Bucks and crosstown rival Los Angeles Lakers.

The Clippers (44-20) and Lakers (49-14) appeared to be headed towards a Western Conference Finals clash prior to the NBA's hiatus.