LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer visits team’s $1.2BILLION new ‘basketball mecca’ as new images are released of state-of-the-art 18,000-seat arena… which will boast the largest two-sided halo scoreboard in the NBA

By James On Dec 5, 2023

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer took a look under the hood of his latest $1.2 billion project: the NBA team's new Intuit Dome currently under construction in Inglewood.

Ballmer, who is reportedly worth $117 billion after serving as CEO of Microsoft, has spared no expense in the fast-developing arena, which he inspected firsthand this week. Shots from the construction site show the 67-year-old wearing a helmet walking across the dome roof.

The project is expected to be completed in time for the summer 2024 unveiling.

Project managers claim the privately funded arena will bring $260 million and 7,000 jobs to the community, with 30 percent going to Inglewood residents.

The 18,000-seat Intuit Dome, described by Ballmer as both a “basketball mecca” and a “basketball palazzo,” will feature a range of distinguishing features, including power hookups at every seat and twice as many restrooms as any other NBA arena. There will also be 3,592 60-inch TV screens throughout the building.

A photo of LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer walking on the roof of the Intuit Dome on Sunday

A look inside the Intuit Dome – an 18,000-seat arena that promises a 'frictionless' fan experience

The Intuit Dome is shrouded in a red cage, which will be partially visible under the facade

In addition, there will be five basketball courts between the main arena and the practice facility, as well as an 80,000-square-foot outdoor court, two bars, a restaurant and a massive new team store.

Every detail – from the massive two-sided halo video screen floating above the court, to the triple escalators, to how the bathrooms will be designed to get fans back to their seats as quickly as possible – has a purpose.

Naturally, parking, entry and concessions will all be automated using new technologies to enable a hassle-free experience so fans can get to their seats with as few hassles as possible.

The halo will include 40,000 square feet of 4K LED lighting, just over half an acre and about six times the average size of other “big” screens in NBA buildings. The roof of the dome is designed to house the halo, not the other way around.

INTUITIVE DOME THROUGH THE NUMBERS

Below are some facts and figures about the Clippers' Intuit Dome:

17,700+ – Seats
5 – Full size basketball courts
51 – Rows in the wall
0 – Concession lines
20” – The width of each individual seat
35” – The depth of each row of seats
45' – How much closer to the action will a seat holder be in the upper bowl than in other arenas
3,592 – Number of 60-inch TVs that would be needed to form the Halo Board, produced by Daktronics
38,375 – Square feet of the Halo Board, the largest double-sided halo display ever seen in an arena environment
86,000 – Square meters of training, medical and player areas
80,000 square feet of The Plaza
199 – Match bells all over the arena, each a reminder to get back in your seat
$100 million – Amount dedicated to Inglewood's goals and infrastructure, the largest community benefits package ever associated with an arena
$260 million – Amount of estimated annual economic activity generated in Inglewood
7,000 – Jobs created during construction
30% – Percentage of minority and disadvantaged businesses that Intuit Dome will hire
30% – Percentage of permanent jobs at Intuit Dome going to Inglewood residents
>120 – Toilets, with a ratio of people to toilets almost half that of the average arena
>1,100 – Touchless toilet fittings (toilets and urinals)
0 – Amount of waste the Intuit Dome will generate once operational
>300 – Charging points for electric vehicles on site
15% – Reduction of vehicle trips to Intuit Dome with a new transportation management program
26 – Purchased fuel-friendly tugboats for the Port of Los Angeles to reduce emissions
The Intuit Dome saves 7.5 million liters of water annually
12 – New zero-emission vehicles awarded to the City of Inglewood
1,020 – Electric vehicle charging units installed in Inglewood homes and public parking lots

The arena's double-sided halo scoreboard will feature 40,000 square feet of 4K LED lighting

The building also contains five full-length basketball courts, most of which are for practice

A view of one of the five proposed basketball courts at the Intuit Dome

The exterior of the Intuit Dome is protected by a slightly opaque facade and red steel beams

The arena emphasizes comfort with extra legroom and power jacks on every seat

Things the Clippers have seen in German football stadiums, other NBA buildings, NFL stadiums and even the Amazon Go checkout-free convenience stores all led to several ideas that will be put into play at Intuit Dome.

“They led us all here, to this vacant lot that we are going to transform into the best place for fans and players around the world,” Ballmer told The Associated Press in 2021.

To make the deal happen, Ballmer paid $400 million for The Forum — the former home of the Lakers — to New York Knicks owner James Dolan, who was concerned that the Clippers' new arena would disrupt the 55-year-old stadium's concert business. harm. . Dolan's Madison Square Garden acquired the Forum in 2012 for $23.5 million.

The Clippers currently play at Staples Center, also home to the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings of the NHL.

The Intuit Dome claims to offer much closer seating than the Crosstown Staples Center

The fan experience is intended to be 'frictionless', meaning no long lines for concessions

An exterior view of the Intuit Dome, which is located at the corner of Century and Prairie

Ballmer — who originally didn't want to build an arena when he bought the team — began planning a home for just the Clippers years ago and formally unveiled the project in 2019, saying at the time that the Clippers would break ground in 2021 and to open. in 2024.

“We don't want to play in anyone's shadow,” Ballmer said.

Soon they will have their own home, built to what Ballmer believes are ideal specifications for basketball and music.

“A construction site today, but tomorrow a global destination for basketball fans, music lovers and anyone who has ever been moved to stand with 18,000 voices echoing as one,” said Clippers President of Business Operations Gillian Zucker.