The LA Clippers haven't had their own home court since 1998. That's just one of the reasons owner Steve Ballmer still wants to leave Staples arena for their own arena in Inglewood.
The Clippers used to play in the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. In 1999 they moved and began to share the Staples Center with the Los Angeles Lakers. While that relationship has worked, two years ago, news broke that the Clippers and their owner were looking to leave and last year, the city of Inglewood unanimously approved an exclusive negotiating agreement for construction of an arena near the future home of the NFL's LA Rams and LA Chargers. Ballmer told Clippers fans and season ticket holders recently, that deal is still being worked on.
The Los Angeles Times' Helene Elliott added more detail on the move and posted some specific quotes directly from Ballmer. Included were, "We’re moving to Inglewood come hell or high water" and "We gotta have a house. So we’re working on a plan to get our own house. We want to get our own house."
Ballmer conceded this type of move takes time, which is why he said if they started now, the team might move in six years. He urged fans to contact their Assembly representative and state senator to speed up the process, suggesting this is something the team needs.
The agreement between the Clippers and the city of Inglewood will include a three-year negotiating period, and whoever becomes the developer will be tasked to build a state-of-the-art basketball arena with 18,000 to 20,000 seats on 20 acres of land located across the street from the $2.6 billion NFL stadium set to open in 2020.
Still, while Ballmer has been clear about his desire to get his own building, the team's number one priority is to be competitive this season with any move simply background business for now. The Clippers have a lease to play at Staples Center through 2024.