Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has apparently made the trip to Orlando.
Ballmer is in attendance for Thursday's crosstown showdown between the Clippers and Lakers, per Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times.
The glare makes him difficult to see, but Steve Ballmer is in attendance tonight, sitting in a raised, glassed-in area directly across from the Clippers bench. (Lower left corner of the photo.) pic.twitter.com/xI5EAfZK1x
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) July 31, 2020
The multibillionaire owner has made plenty of headlines since taking over the Clippers in 2014, especially this season.
Ballmer bought the old LA Forum earlier this year, with the expectation it will be renovated and remodeled as the new home of the team in the coming years (per Jabari Young of CNBC):
Ballmer plans to build a privately financed, 18,000-seat arena which is expected to open in 2024. According to the Washington Post, the new complex could total $1 billion.
Ballmer’s new arena would also relocate the Clippers from the Staples Center, where they’ve played since 1999. The downtown Los Angeles arena is also home to the Lakers and National Hockey League’s Kings.
The enigmatic owner has invested in the future, and has also made plenty of investments to keep the Clippers competitive in the immediate future.
Los Angeles pulled off one of the more stunning moves in the history of NBA free agency last summer when it traded for Paul George and signed Kawhi Leonard essentially in the middle of the night.
In turn, the superstar duo has made the Clippers one of the top contenders to win the NBA title in Orlando.
The Clippers are 5.5 games back of the Lakers for the top spot in the Western Conference, but Ballmer is intent on watching a contest that might serve as a preview for a Western Conference finals showdown.
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