After 25 seasons as a tenant of Crypto.com Arena, the LA Clippers have now officially moved into the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. Not only is the new arena state-of-the-art and packed with amenities designed to enhance the fan experience, it’s also owned solely by the Clippers.
This is the first time in Clippers franchise history that they own and operate their own arena, independent of any common tenants. It was already a huge point of excitement for the fan base – leading to Huge ticket prices for opening night in October.
But a recent statement from Lakers owner Jeanie Buss should only add to the excitement among Clippers fans. Appearing on the Petros and Money podcastBuss explained how she believes LAC’s departure from Crypto.com Arena will only serve to help the Lakers in the long run.
“We moved into this building first, then the Clippers moved in and now they moved out,” Buss said. “So nothing has really changed for us. I just didn’t realize how long it would take for the rest of the league to realize we had more home games.”
Her statement is of course alluding to the fact that there were historically plenty of Lakers fans at a Lakers-Clippers game in Los Angeles, even when the Clippers were the designated home team. She goes on to express gratitude for the LAC’s demise, as it now means the Lakers can make more changes to their arena without having to worry about hosting another team.
Many Clippers fans are probably thinking, “Good riddance!” For one thing, the Intuit Dome is everything the franchise ever wanted in a home arena. And second, sharing a home court with a rival team had a number of drawbacks. Giving up Crypto.com in exchange for a shiny new home seems like the best deal the team could ask for.
