For over 20 years, the Clippers and the Lakers have shared the same arena in downtown Los Angeles, but this will change when the Clippers transition to their new home, the Intuit Dome. The Clippers stars are eager to move into their own home, explaining they never feel as welcomed as the Lakers.
Paul George, shared his experiences of sharing the Crypto.com Arena with the Lakers on a recent podcast episode. “We share the space there – it’s a weird dynamic,” George said. The star player did not shy away from discussing the strange aspects of sharing the arena.
Cause I was telling him, we’ll go in the weight room … it’s the craziest s**t. Lebron got his s**t over here, you don’t touch his s**t.
George’s teammate, Terance Mann, who was a guest on the same episode, agreed with what George was saying by adding that the majority of the arena staff seemed to be Lakers fans.
As George noted, “It feels like we’re the little bros over there,” adding, “They treat us different.”
The Clippers will hope to make their own legacy in their new home
In what could be a game-changer for the Clippers, the new Intuit Dome, which can fit 18,000 spectators, is scheduled to open its doors at the onset of the 2024-25 season. The project is valued at an estimated $1.8 billion, almost the same amount Steve Ballmer paid for the Clippers in 2014.
The Lakers have been the marquee franchise in Los Angeles for decades
This move signifies more than a change in geographic location for the Clippers. It represents their departure from the shadow of the more popular Lakers and the beginning of a new chapter where they can claim their identity in the city of Los Angeles. As the Clippers transition from being the “little bros,” they are set to take up residence in a stadium they can finally call their own and move out of the heart of Lakertown.
