Inside the Intuit Dome, where 2028 Olympic Hoops will unfold
Photo courtesy of: @intuitdome / X
In the glitz and glam empire known as Los Angeles, the Lakers have outdone the Clippers by just about every metric: championship banners, fan loyalty, Jack Nicholson’s love, and overall importance in the NBA.
But, not long from now, the Clipper fanbase will have something to brag about in Tinseltown. Because their arena—not the Lakers’, mind you—is getting the best basketball in the world.
Have you caught a glimpse of Intuit Dome just yet?
Set to open on August 15, this state-of-the-art Inglewood facility will become the Clippers’ home arena starting the 2024-2025 season. Even as hoops junkies across the globe get caught up in this year’s Paris Olympiad, they might want to know more about the venue hosting the next cycle of Olympic hoops.
Intuit Dome nearly ready to welcome fans
Next-Level Sophistication
As reported by the Washington Post, Intuit Dome will have the following amenities:
- The “widest seats” in any NBA venue. Even when James Harden is making you uncomfortable with consecutive bricks on an off night, you’ll at least have plenty of room to cringe in your seat.
- A 44,000-square-foot scoreboard. Can’t get enough of Steve Ballmer and his incessant fist-pumping? Good news: You’ll get infected by his energy via this gargantuan screen.
- Cashier-less concession areas. If you’re a basketball fanatic, nothing can be more annoying than a 10-minute transaction for a halftime hot dog bun. These automated concession facilities should speed things up.
- “The Wall”: No word on whether this was inspired by a former Kentucky guard, but we can tell you this much: “The Wall” consists of baseline seats adjacent to the opposing team’s bench. This specially designed section will be reserved for fans who are most proficient at making noise and distracting opponents.
Other cutting-edge features of Intuit Dome include flashy LEDs installed in 17,000 armrests and arena-wide noise retention to push decibel levels to the limit.
Clearly, the Clippers organization is going for a fan experience that amplifies passion like never before. Imagine, then, the energy in the building when basketball devotees from around the world flock to Intuit Dome and cheer for their national teams in 2028.
The Hottest Ticket in L.A., perhaps?
Way before the 2028 Olympic basketball tournament unfolds, Intuit Dome is stacked with buzzworthy events that will light up Los Angeles for the next few years.
This year, Grammy Award-winning singer Bruno Mars is set to open the arena with back-to-back concerts on August 15 and 16. Over the next two months, artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Future and Metro Boomin, Usher, and Billy Joel will rock the stage in Inglewood.
Then, in February 2026, the festivities of NBA All-Star Weekend will emanate from Intuit Dome. It should be interesting to see—and hear—how the venue’s sensory overload will spice up the 3-point contest, the slam dunk tilt, and the All-Star Game. (Which, if you think about it, might be the last All-Star appearance of another Los Angeles-based dude.)
It’s worth speculating, of course, where the Clippers will be over the next two to four years. After all, the Clips just lost Paul George to free agency; as for Kawhi Leonard, he’ll be a pretty worn out 35-year-old by the time his current contract expires in 2027. Harden, meanwhile, is signed till 2026, though the former MVP is way past his prime.
When 2028 rolls around, will Clippers fans have a team that’s remotely decent? That remains to be seen, but as far as bragging rights go, they can take pride in a facility that could be the next venue for Team USA’s Olympic gold conquest. Intuit Dome: 1, Crypto.com Arena: 0.