Historically, the LA Clippers have been one of the worst franchises in all of North American team sports, but their luck changed about 5 years ago. Now, they’re consistently one of the best teams out west. No longer are they the little brother of the Lakers. They are easily the better, more entertaining team and should be that way for a while.
As such, LA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer apparently wants to get out of the shadows of the Lakers. Ballmer is reportedly looking into moving the Clippers out of the shared Staples Center into their own, brand new downtown facility.
Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has begun to explore potential sites for a new Clippers arena, multiple NBA sources said.
The Clippers would neither confirm nor deny they are actively searching for a location, but one NBA source said that an area that piques the franchise’s interest is Los Angeles’ west side.
The Clippers have been co-tenants of Staples Center, owned and operated by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), with the Los Angeles Lakers and the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings since the facility opened in downtown Los Angeles prior to the 1999-2000 NBA season. In January 2013, the Clippers agreed to a 10-year extension of their lease that would keep the team at Staples Center until June 2024. Sources say any move by the Clippers would come after they fulfill the term of the current lease.
H/T: ESPN
