INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The flashy new Intuit Dome opened its doors to basketball fans for the first time Monday night as the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Dallas Mavericks 110-96 in a preseason game in front of 13,400 fans.
The arena has been hosting concerts since August, but this is the first game in the more than $2 billion vision of Clippers owner Steve Ballmer. Fans streamed in through doors using facial recognition. A double-sided halo board showed photos, videos, statistics and more.
The Clippers were one of three tenants of the crypto.com Arena, sharing space with the Lakers and the Kings. Now they’ve got their own address.
“It’s a great feeling to have a place to call home. Guys are very excited about it,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Our whole organization is excited about it. Tonight our fans get the chance to see a part of it. You have a chance to have our own place we call home. You can leave your shoes in the locker room and come back tomorrow and they’ll be there. We have our own place and own building and everything is secure.”
Derrick Jones Jr. — who signed with the Clippers in the offseason — scored 12 points.
“I love it. ... The arena is amazing,” Jones Jr. said. “I definitely like it. It’s probably one of the best I’ve ever stepped foot in and the practice facility, too. I’m glad to be able to play here in the Intuit Dome and be the first team to play here.”
On “60 Minutes,” which aired Sunday, Ballmer showed off his new building, which he hopes will give his NBA team a boost.
“Everything in my instinct says it will help our team, our basketball team, if our crowd team can really get into it and give them energy,” Ballmer said.
Ballmer was there and sat courtside under one of the baskets, which is about the same spot he sat at the previous building. When tne Clippers' Ivica Zubac made a hook shot in the second quarter, Ballmer displayed his trademark fist pumps and enthusiasm.
As fans entered the arena, they found an 80,000-square-foot outdoor plaza with a basketball court that’s open to the public.
Patricia Blakemore was jumping up and down when she arrived in the arena.
“It’s so high tech,” said Blakemore, who lives in nearby Manhattan Beach. “I have to say one of the things that makes me exceptionally happy is that from the moment we parked our car to get in here, the staff has been very helpful.”
When asked how long he’s been a Clippers fan, Eric Swallow said since Monday. He just bought season tickets.
“It’s a new stadium and it’s close to Manhattan Beach,” Swallow said. That was all it took for the Clippers to gain a new fan.
Estelle Talleu and Matteo Decarlini came from France to visit Los Angeles and go to the game.
“I love basketball, and I wanted to see L.A. and this atmosphere,” Decarlini said. “In France, it’s not the same. There’s nothing like this. This arena is so big.”
Talleu loved the halo board: “It’s amazing.”
She was taking lots of videos, as were many fans in the nearly 18,000-seat arena.
There’s also an abundance of bathrooms, and Ballmer boasted about the 1,400 toilets on “60 Minutes.” There’s good reason.
“I really hate it when people wait in line,” Ballmer told “60 Minutes.” “Waiting in line for toilets, I think is — it stops people from getting back into the game. People get frustrated.”
The Intuit Dome is in an area that’s exploding with sports and entertainment. It’s less than a mile from Sofi Stadium — where the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers call home — and The Kia Forum, which hosts concerts and used to be home to the Lakers.
The arena is carbon-free and cashless and has all the bells and whistles.
Juvenal Martinez, who is 14, came to the game with his uncle.
“The arena is good. I like it. I like all the technology and the facial scan to get in,” he said.
There were some hiccups, of course. During the first first quarter, the halo board had the score at 19-19 in the first quarter, but the score was actually 23-22 and that score was correct in many other places around the arena. The score was updated within a couple of minutes.
Ballmer broke ground on the arena in 2021 and it opened its doors in August. It is schedule to host many big events, including the 2026 All-Star Game and basketball for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“This is beautiful,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “To be able to practice here (Sunday) and have shootaround here, they did an incredible job. I think Clippers fans should be happy. When you look at fan experience it will be like no other. It will be exciting to be the first visiting team to experience that.”
Mavericks stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, and the Clippers' Kawhi Leonard didn’t play.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Jill Painter Lopez, The Associated Press
