Los Angeles Clippers aren’t going to be the Lakers’ little brother anymore
The Los Angeles Clippers aren’t going to share a venue for their home games with their more-lucrative sister NBA franchise soon.
For years, the Los Angeles Clippers have lived in the shadow of the other NBA team that they share the Staples Center with. Despite having a better on-court product for much of the past decade, Laker games continue to be a hotter ticket than Clippers games. All that could be about to change very soon.
The Clippers aren’t necessarily going to an undisputed market, however. If the media reports are true, then their new stadium is going to be right in the back yard of the Los Angeles market’s two NFL franchises.
Clippers will announce tomorrow that they are closing in on building a stadium in Inglewood, sources.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) June 14, 2017
No details have been announced as of Monday night where exactly the stadium site will be, where the financing for the construction project is coming from, or design elements of the venue. It’s likely that all of those details will be shared in a press conference on Tuesday.
What fans should count on is that the stadium project will be mostly privately financed. There haven’t been any public referendums on tax funds for a Clippers stadium in the Los Angeles metro, nor have any city or county governmental bodies passed funding measures. The project might still work to try to take advantage of any and all available tax credits or seek any applicable waivers, however.
How close the Clippers’ new arena will be to the new stadium where the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams will eventually play their home games is also worth watching. Small proximity to that stadium has its benefits as well as detractions. A central location for all of Inglewood’s sports teams can be convenient for fans and offer more incentive for businesses to invade the area. At the same time, the cloister of activity can be burdensome for traffic, create parking issues, and make other areas of Inglewood obsolete.
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After Tuesday’s press conference, many of these details will be known. Until then, Clippers fans can start to dream of their team playing its home games in a venue that won’t be better known for Lakers games.