Steve Ballmer: Clippers Forming Comprise ‘Identity’ in LA Other than Lakers with Fresh Arena
AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu
With their eventual pass to Intuit Dome, the Los Angeles Clippers are having a peek to safe out of the shadow of their inner-city rivals.
“We wanted to teach, ‘We’re our have guys. We invent no longer play within the identical assert as the diversified guys. We’re going to possess our have identity,'” team governor Steve Ballmer told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.
The Clippers possess shared Staples Heart with the Los Angeles Lakers since the venue opened in 1999.
Ballmer acknowledged the Clippers’ prolonged futility supposed the Lakers some distance outpaced them by process of attention and stature all over the L.A. sports ecosystem. The dynamic has changed with the franchise turning correct into a genuine playoff contender with championship ambitions.
“We’re true now, and we’ll be true One year in and One year out,” Ballmer acknowledged. “We’re going to attract our have building, more of our have identity, more of our have persona. And I mediate a pair of of the fans on the diversified aspect, whenever you happen to will, it be love, ‘What? You dare to demand our supremacy?’ No, we originate.”
To that discontinue, the Clippers announced the pattern of their contemporary dwelling enviornment, which is scheduled to be done in time for the 2024-25 NBA season. The team broke ground on the field Friday.
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Home is LA. Home is the @IntuitDome. pic.twitter.com/Lna4LlC9eY
As great progress as the Clippers possess made since the main gentle of the “Lob Metropolis” squads, they had been never going to construct up Staples Heart their very have.
In a telling second, then-Clippers head coach Doc Rivers triggered comparatively of a poke in 2013 when he pushed to possess banners celebrating the Lakers’ achievements covered with posters of Clippers avid gamers correct thru Clippers dwelling video games.
The outlet of Staples Heart coincided with the open of the Lakers’ three-peat. Thanks to that, this will forever be synonymous with Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal and Phil Jackson. O’Neal has a statue start air of the field already.
When it involves historic success, the Clippers will per chance never surpass the Lakers, however Intuit Dome must mute if truth be told benefit them proceed to nick out their very have assert within the Metropolis of Angels.