The Los Angeles Lakers and L.A. Clippers may have to share a city, but it appears that they won’t have to share an arena for too much longer. The Staples Center currently acts as the home floor to both teams, though the court and decorations around the building are changed depending on which team is the “home” team on that particular day.
In fact, the Clippers even go so far as to cover the Lakers’ championship banners during their home games in order to make it more of a true home court for them since they have no banners of their own to display.
It won’t happen overnight, but plans for a stadium to be built for the Clippers in Inglewood are being put into motion. As Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times reports, this new arena would be situated across the street from the Rams and Chargers new stadium:
The 22 acres where the 18,000- to 20,000-seat arena would be built are across the street from the 298-acre site where Rams owner Stan Kroenke is building a stadium that will house his team and the Chargers.
The Rams aren’t involved in the Clippers’ arena project, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation.
The agreement between the Clippers-controlled company and Inglewood will run for 36 months, giving the team time to complete lengthy environmental reviews. The city will receive $1.5-million to defray costs associated with the effort.
The Clippers have a lease with the Anschutz Entertainment Group to play in Staples Center through 2024. An AEG spokesman said the company wasn’t aware of the pending agreement with Inglewood.
With the Clippers still under contract to play at the Staples Center until 2024, the two teams will have to share the same space for a bit longer. It’s going to take some time for a new arena to be constructed, but the Clippers having a home of their own is probably a step in the right direction.
It was always something of an awkward fit, especially now that the Clippers have achieved relative success compared to their past struggles.
Lakers fans have long clamored for the Clippers to have their own home, whether that be back in San Diego, in Seattle, or frankly, anywhere else. The other L.A. team has no interest in giving up the profitable Los Angeles market, so having a separate building will have to do.