These ain’t your daddy’s Los Angeles Clippers anymore.
Steve Ballmer is willing to change everything up with his Clippers. After landing Paul George and Kawhi Leonard this summer, the Clippers are now the favorites to win the NBA championship, and favorite to take LA basketball title away from the Lakers.
Last week, the Clippers revealed plans for a new arena in Inglewood — set to open in 2024 — that will finally move them out of the Staples Center, and more importantly, out from under the Lakers’ shadow in that building.
“When I bought the team I thought it was great we didn’t need to build an arena,” Ballmer said, according to the Los Angeles Times. “But as we looked forward we were at some disadvantages in Staples Center … [the new arena] is a way for us to define our own identity. … People, I think, will say, we play in the Lakers’ building. We’d like to play in the Clippers’ building. That’s what we’re working on.”
In addition to a new arena, the Clippers could also ultimately have a new look, and even a new name, as Ballmer hasn’t ruled out making major cosmetic changes to the franchise, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times. If the name and/or logo of the team is to be altered, fans will have some sort of input in the process.
“We have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to really step our identity up another level,” Ballmer said. “I don’t anticipate making a change, but we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and that is the kind of thing you somehow do in consultation with your fans.”
Balmer is willing to do whatever it takes, to win the battle for LA.
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