Lakers Fans Closer to Getting Their Wish for a Home of Their Own

The Lakers are looking to move to a new arena in the Los Angeles area, but there is one small problem. They don’t have enough land for their own stadium. So they’re turning to blockchain technology to help them find an alternative location.

The lakers 2021 is a team that has been in the NBA for over 100 years. They have had a lot of success, but they have never won an NBA championship.

For more than two decades, the Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers have shared an uneasy living situation. Since its inception in 1999, the Staples Center has always seemed more like the Lakers’ home. The Clippers were the obnoxious uncle you had to accept because no one else would.

Even after acquiring Chris Paul in 2011, the Clippers became a regular playoff team, the Lakers remained a big brother in the family. When did the Lakers have their longest losing streak in club history, from 2014 to 2019? The Clippers remained the underdogs.

According to reports, the Clippers will break construction on a new venue in Inglewood shortly. Yes, the Lakers and Clippers are on their way to having their own arenas.

Table of Contents

The edge was given to the Lakers by Donald Sterling.

In the late 1990s, as the Staples Center was getting ready to open, former Clippers owner Donald Sterling happily accepted third place among the three tenants in the facility. The NBA’s Lakers and the NHL’s Kings may have their pick of dates and other benefits. Sterling benefited from lower rent and income from premium boxes that were not accessible at the aging LA Sports Arena.

Sterling didn’t seem to bother if the Clippers didn’t win. It didn’t matter to him whether they earned money. So, despite the fact that his club only made seven playoff appearances under his ownership, the franchise he purchased for $13.5 million in 1981 was sold for $2 billion when the NBA pushed him out in 2014. It’s difficult to disagree with a return on investment of 14,715 percent.

In 2014, Steve Ballmer was appointed as the Clippers’ governor. After the 2023–24 season, the team’s lease at Staples Center will end. For the 2024–25 season, Ballmer anticipates the Clippers to play in a new venue, although in an old site.

The Clippers are relocating to Inglewood, California.

The Clippers announced plans for a new stadium in Inglewood in 2019. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Inglewood is where the Lakers played from 1967 until 1999 at the old Forum. The Clippers agreed to a $400 million agreement with Madison Square Garden (at the time, the Forum’s owner) in March 2020. The project progressed as a result of this.

According to Arash Markazi of Substack, Inglewood mayor James T. Butts believes the new arena’s groundbreaking may happen this month.

“We anticipate breaking ground by the end of August, with the facility opening for the first season in 2024-25. The Clippers arena will be completed in time for the NBA season 2024–25.”

According to Bloomberg, the Clippers’ new arena will be near SoFi Stadium, the new $5.5 billion home of the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers (since the city can’t seem to stop bundling teams).

At the very least, the Clippers will no longer have to cover 17 championship banners and 18 retired numbers for each home game.

The Lakers’ fan base will also be pleased with the decision.

On May 9, 2019, an overhead picture of The Forum venue in Inglewood, California. On March 24, 2020, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer said that he had struck a deal to buy the historic Forum, which has been home to the Lakers for 32 years, removing a roadblock in his plan to construct a new arena for his NBA club nearby. | DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images

Some individuals are more irritated by the Lakers and Clippers’ haphazard marriage than others. That doesn’t simply apply to fans. It’s a question of belonging, according to former Lakers player Robert Horry, who stated earlier this year on The Big Podcast with Shaq.

“You can’t let the Clippers put up a banner at the Staples Center. They have no place in Staples. They’ll be able to get out of here quickly.”

The Lakers defeated the Clippers in a first-round knockout — like a Mike Tyson-Michael Spinks knockout — when analyzing the relative credentials of the clubs. The Clippers have never won a championship and have never had their number retired.

While remaining at Staples Center, the Clippers will attempt to win some championships. But it won’t be long until they have a beautiful new location to exhibit them that isn’t cluttered with purple and gold.

And, hey, it won’t bother Lakers supporters. They’ve always been the sole occupants of Staples Center, as far as they’re concerned.

Basketball Reference provided the historical data.

With a former Lakers teammate, Lamar Odom discusses his near-death experience, the importance of sharing his story, and his possible future in basketball.