After decades of sharing an arena with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Clippers are finally playing the season in their own arena. Billionaire owner of the franchise, Steve Ballmer, spared no cost in building the Intuit Dome and it’s slowly becoming a fan favorite. After the game against the Clips, Victor Wembanyama shared his thoughts on the $2 billion stadium.
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Wemby’s spirits were low after the Spurs’ 104-113 loss. When he sat down for the post-game presser, he was asked about his experience playing at the Dome. The 20-year-old heaped praise on several aspects of the arena.
He seemed particularly impressed by the way the architects have made the building spacious and expansive.
Wemby said, “My impressions were really nice locker room, really long hallway, and yeah, I think it’s a beautiful arena.”
Victor Wembanyama on the Clippers’ Intuit Dome:
“My impressions were really nice locker room, really long hallway, and yeah, I think it’s a beautiful arena.” pic.twitter.com/Li3pM7aKu0
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) November 5, 2024
Located in the south of the other Inglewood sports venues such as the SoFi Stadium and the Kia Forum, the Intuit Dome is considered to be a modern-day marvel. So, it’s understandable why Wemby was so impressed by it.
Interestingly, the arena sits only 18,000 people compared to the 19,000 capacity of the Frost Bank Center, where the Spurs play, despite being built on significantly more land. That is why there’s a lot more space than what the 7-feet-4 giant is used to.
The reason for such a spacious design is that Ballmer wanted fans to have a great experience while cheering for the home team.
The new arena was also expected to bring good luck for the franchise.
When the Intuit Dome was announced to be ready for the Clippers, many people argued if this would be the perfect time for the Clippers to win their first ring. However, seven games into the new season, they’ve only won four games. Notably, the win against the Spurs was their first win at the new venue.
Some of the most unique features of the Intuit Dome
Several great and iconic arenas host NBA games for thousands of fans, but we haven’t seen anything quite like the Intuit Dome before. The 915,000 sq ft property is tailor-made to give the fans an unmatched live event experience. The Dome is designed to appear as a basketball hoop.
Even if someone is sitting 20 rows deep, they’ll feel much closer to the floor as compared to other venues. Every seat inside the arena comes with a USB port to charge phones and a decibel meter that determines how loud a particular section of the arena is.
If the fans cheer and roar throughout the game, their individual performance earns them special discounts on food, merch, etc. To top it all off, the Dome boasts ‘The Wall’, which is a 4500-seat section located right behind one of the baskets. It comes in handy for fans to distract the opposition players when they are shooting free throws.
Overall, the Dome is ready to be one of the chief attractions of the NBA this season.
