The LA Clippers celebrate the grand opening of the Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Oct. 23 with a game against the Suns.
We’re counting down 24 key storylines heading into the 2024-25 NBA season. Our senior analysts will dissect a new topic each day as we help you get ready for opening night on Oct. 22.
Here is storyline No. 19:
The Clippers open their own, state-of-the-art arena this season. Are they finally out of the Lakers’ shadow?
Five arenas and four cities later, the Clippers — previously of Buffalo, San Diego and Los Angeles — finally found their home base. Yes, home — as in a place of their own, the amenity-filled Intuit Dome, which will swing open its doors this season.
Technically they’re now based in Inglewood, made famous by the “Showtime” Lakers, so in that sense, the Clippers are still in the shadow of That Other Team from a historical perspective.
But make no mistake, this is an escape long overdue. They’re away from Crypto.com Arena, where Lakers legends are immortalized in statues out front. There’s no need to cover up the Lakers’ championship banners hanging near the ceiling during Clippers’ home games. And best of all, the Clippers can arrange their weekend tip-off times … no more noon games to make room for the Lakers and/or the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings later that night.
Newer arena, nicer creature comforts, total control and all the advantages of being an only tenant — that’s what the Clippers are working with right now.
But now comes the hard part. The Clippers can’t enhance their status (beyond their fan base) in Los Angeles until they win championships. And in that sense, they’re trailing the Lakers by 17 (the Lakers have 17, the Clippers zero).
Any attempt to pull even with the Lakers will take multiple decades, a quest that could outlive the Intuit Dome. If the Clippers ever got around to raising an 18th banner, it would likely happen in a new arena, since these structures tend to become outdated after 25 years.
Also, the Lakers are so stitched into the fabric of L.A. sports that perhaps this takeover never happens in our lifetime. Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Jerry West, Dr. Jerry Buss, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Chick Hearn, LeBron James … that’s a mountain of icons to climb for a team clapping back with “Lob City,” an old Danny Manning knee brace and not much else.
The Clippers do have Steve Ballmer. He’s a helluva franchise owner (being worth a gazillion billion helps). This doesn’t happen without his vision and determination to do what nobody thinks can be done: make Los Angeles more of a Clippers town. He’s the best thing to happen to this franchise since … well, there’s no competition on that front.
Still, the Clippers will open their new digs without a bankable star. Paul George bailed for Philadelphia this summer. Kawhi Leonard is once again on the mend. James Harden is a bit beyond his prime. This must change at some point.
In the short term, the primary goal in Year One of the Intuit Dome is to make sure the cheers are louder for the Clippers when the Lakers visit. That’s a start.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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