Intuit Dome grand opening: Everything we know about the Clippers' new $2B arena
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The Intuit Dome, the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers, will officially host its grand opening on Thursday, Aug. 15, becoming the latest jewel in the heart of Inglewood.
The Intuit Dome is about a mile and a half away from SoFi Stadium, home of the LA Rams and Chargers, and just over a mile from the Kia Forum.
While the new arena is designed for basketball, it will also be an entertainment mecca. Bruno Mars kicks off the party with back-to-back sold-out concerts with several other big names bringing tours to the venue, including Usher and Olivia Rodrigo, ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season.
The arena will host the 2026 NBA All-Star Game and will be one of LA's venues for the 2028 Olympic Games.
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The sculpture Sails by artist Glenn Kaino stands as public artwork outside of the Intuit Dome. (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) (Getty Images)
The Intuit Dome is a love letter to fans from Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. The billionaire and former Microsoft SEO traveled to stadiums nationwide to design the perfect arena, citing San Diego State's Viejas Arena, Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and Salt Lake City's Delta Center as major influences.
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Learn more about the state-of-the-art venue below.
Why do the Clippers need their own arena?
Having to share an arena with the Lakers, Kings, and Sparks came with several challenges and perhaps the late and iconic Jerry West said it best back in 2021.
"When you’re the third tenant in the building, I mean, my goodness, we get the worst schedule every year," West bluntly explained. "This will allow this team to have a schedule that’s more fair, and also not be as taxing on the players."
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer recently opened up about the moment it became obvious to him that the franchise needed its own home.
"We got to put the energy in our house. We don't want to play too many Monday nights against Monday Night Football. We don't want to play as many Saturday games. We don't. We don't want to have to cover up banners of other guys in order for it to at least feel marginally like our house. It's got to be our house," Ballmer said.
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The Clippers are now the only basketball team in Los Angeles to have their own arena. Crypto.com Arena is owned by Anschutz Entertainment Group, commonly known by its acronym, AEG. The Lakers lease the arena and recently renewed their agreement through the 2041 season.
Why is the new arena called the Intuit Dome?
Intuit is a massive business software company headquartered in Mountain View, California. Some of its products include TurboTax, Credit Karma, and QuickBooks. Intuit has a 23-year partnership with the Clippers that aims to deliver economic benefits to the local community.
Intuit is committed to expanding Intuit’s Prosperity Hub School District program, providing taxpayer assistance events, and hosting educational events for local entrepreneurs and small business owners.
How much did it cost to build the Intuit Dome?
The Intuit Dome cost an estimated $2 billion and was made possible with private funding.
What is the Intuit Dome's capacity?
The Intuit Dome can seat 18,000 people. The arena is designed to bring fans closer to the action and aims not to have a single bad seat in the house, even at the 300 level.
What are some of Intuit Dome's unique features?
The Intuit Dome is bursting with innovation.
Some of the arena's unique features include
- A massive Halo board, measuring almost a full acre
- The franchise's first-ever flagship store
- An outdoor plaza with a community basketball court
- Exterior art designed by local artists
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When is the Clippers home opener?
The Clippers made a rather thunderous reveal when showing off the arena's massive Halo board for the first time.
The first home game at the Intuit Dome is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 23. The Clippers will reportedly face the Phoenix Suns, Law Murray with The Athletic reported.