Clippers Break Ground On Intuit Dome, Set To Open For 2024 Season

LOS ANGELES, CA — After years of sharing an arena with the Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers will soon have their own home: Work has begun on the Intuit Dome, an arena and plaza that will open for the 2024-25 season.

In 2019, the NBA team entered into a 23-year partnership with Intuit, a financial software company, to build a new, privately financed arena, Bleacher Report reported.

And on Friday morning, officials celebrated the beginning of construction on the 18,000-seat arena with a groundbreaking ceremony at 10116 S. Prairie Avenue, Inglewood.

Though the dome doesn't have an official address yet, an Intuit spokesperson told Patch it will "absolutely be in Inglewood."

The project is currently on track to cost $1.8 billion, Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer told Variety. Though the Intuit spokesperson declined to provide the financial terms of the deal, she said it is "in line with other industry sponsorship deals."

"(The deal) is a unique opportunity to partner with the LA Clippers and play a role in this beautiful, new arena that will utilize innovative technology to create unique fan experiences," the spokesperson said.

The Clippers are promising upper-bowl seats that are 45 feet closer to the action, the most leg room in the NBA and a "hassle-free" parking, arrival, entry and merchandise experience.

Fans won't have to wait in line for snacks, as they can select concessions items and return to their seats "just like they do from their refrigerator at home," a news release said.

A 44,000 square foot halo-shaped LED board will block zero sight lines and feature "more replays, more videos and more advanced stats than any scoreboard in the world," the news release said.

The arena will be complete with an 80,000 square foot outdoor plaza that will include bars, restaurants, a team store and a full-sized, regulation basketball court that will host Amateur Athletic Union tournaments and local youth leagues.

"When we started the questions were 'Do you want it to be the best for sponsors? Do you want it to be the best for musicians? Do you want it to be the best for fans? And if you want it to be the best for fans, then for the fancy seats or the fans in the back?'" Gillian Zucker, the Clippers' president of Business Operations, told the Associated Press. "And he [Ballmer] said, 'yes.' That's what this place is all about."

Officials have promised that 30 percent of permanent jobs at the dome will go to Inglewood residents, and Intuit has pledged to donate $1 million to Los Angeles schools over the next three years.

The Clippers have been playing at Staples Center, an arena home to both the Lakers and the Los Angeles Kings NHL team. Work on the new dome has been going on for "years," according to the Associated Press, and the project was officially unveiled in 2019.

"When we began the search for a partner for the LA Clippers and our new dome, we looked for one that shares our passion for technology, the pursuit of innovation and our commitment to customers, fans and community," Ballmer said in a statement. "Intuit is a perfect fit and we're excited to be calling our future home the Intuit Dome."