The Intuit Dome opens its doors to LA Clippers fans for their first look

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The eye-catching new Intuit Dome opened its doors to basketball fans for the first time Monday night as the Los Angeles Clippers hosted a preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks.

The arena has been hosting concerts since August, but this is the first game in Clippers owner Steve Ballmer’s more than $2 billion vision. Using facial recognition, fans streamed in through the doors. A double-sided Halo board featured photos, videos, statistics and more.

The Clippers were one of three tenants of crypto.com Arena, sharing the space with the Lakers and Kings. Now they have their own address.

“It’s a great feeling to have a place to call home. The guys are very excited,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “Our entire organization is excited about it. Tonight our fans get the chance to see part of it. You have the chance to have a place of your own that we call home. You can leave your shoes in the locker room and come back tomorrow and they’ll be there. We have our own space and our own building and everything is safe.”

On “60 Minutes” which aired on SundayBallmer showed off his new building that he hopes will give his NBA team a boost.

“Every instinct in my mind tells me that if our crowd team can really get involved and give them energy, it will help our team, our basketball team,” Ballmer said.

When fans entered the arena, they found an 80,000-square-foot outdoor plaza with a basketball court open to the public.

Patricia Blakemore jumped up and down as she arrived at the arena.

“It’s so high-tech,” said Blakemore, who lives in nearby Manhattan Beach. “I have to say what makes me extremely happy is that the staff was very helpful from the moment we parked our car to arrive here.”

When asked how long he had been a Clippers fan, Eric Swallow said since Monday. He just bought season tickets.

“It’s a new stadium and it’s close to Manhattan Beach,” Swallow said. That’s all the Clippers needed to win a new fan.

Estelle Talleu and Matteo Decarlini came from France to visit Los Angeles and go to the game.

“I love basketball and I wanted to see LA and that atmosphere,” Decarlini said. “It’s not the same in France. There is no such thing. This arena is so big.”

Talleu loved the Halo board: “It’s amazing.”

She took a lot of videos, as did many fans in the nearly 18,000-seat arena.

There are also plenty of bathrooms, and Ballmer bragged on “60 Minutes” about the 1,400 toilets. There are good reasons.

“I really hate when people wait in line,” Ballmer told “60 Minutes.” “I think waiting in the toilet line is keeping people from getting back into the game. People are frustrated.”

The Intuit Dome is located in an area that is exploding with sports and entertainment. It’s less than a mile from Sofi Stadium — home to the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers — and the Kia Forum, which hosts concerts and where the Lakers used to play.

The arena is carbon and cashless and has all the bells and whistles.

14-year-old Juvenal Martinez came to the game with his uncle.

“The arena is good. I like it. I like all the technology and the facial scan to get in,” he said.

Ballmer laid the foundation stone for the arena in 2021 and it opened its doors in August. It is planned to host many large events including the 2026 All-Star Game And Basketball for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

“This is beautiful,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “To be able to practice and shoot here (Sunday), they did an incredible job. I think Clippers fans should be happy. If you look at the fan experience, it will be unique. It will be exciting to be the first visiting team to experience this.”