For all the crazy game schedules, relocations, and years of splitting the court with their rival team, the L.A. Clippers finally have a place to call home.
The basketball team’s shiny new $2 billion Intuit Dome officially opens today, with a Bruno Mars kickoff concert. According to Clippers owner and billionaire Steve Ballmer, “fans and players together deserve the ultimate home court. You’re going to have it here in Inglewood.”
Here’s everything there is to know about the Intuit Dome — how to get there, what’s inside, and what's on the menu before the inaugural home game on Oct. 14.
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Getting there
The Intuit Dome is located next door to SoFi Stadium between the 405 and the 110 freeways. Once you’re there, leave your car at the main parking structure on Prairie Avenue and 102nd Street. It connects directly to the Dome’s plaza entrance with a pedestrian bridge.
If you aren’t on four wheels, don’t worry. Intuit is surrounded by 10 bus stops. The Metro 117, 211 and 212 buses will all get you within a short walk.
When you arrive
Once you enter the plaza, you’ll see the massive, paneled dome. It's one of the world’s most expensive arenas, and it shows. It's designed to look like the net of a basketball hoop, and at night, it’ll be lit up with thousands of lights that move in animated sequence, bringing the structure to life.
But wait! Don’t be so quick to get to your seat just yet. There’s a ton to do in the outdoor plaza before the game. Looking like something out of Dune, it’s bordered by Roman steps and will include two bars, a restaurant, and a 5,000-square-foot team store. The entrance is anchored by a full-sized regulation basketball court — open for public use — with a screen that stretches key-to-key.
So have a drink, grab a jersey, or catch a pickup game before letting the professionals take the rock.
The Clippers spared no detail in sourcing six public art installations by local artists for the plaza. Many of the pieces serve as a reflection of the city. The digital artwork "Living Arena" of Refik Anadol uses flight information from LAX and Inglewood weather data. "Cultural Playground" a mural by Michael Massenburg captures LA’s cultural identity, and Kyungmi Kim’s stained glass mosaic,-"Spring to Life," draws inspiration from Centinela Springs, an ancient water source that supported the Tongva people. At the entrance of the dome itself, you can’t miss Glenn Kaino’s “Sails,” a giant clipper boat that recalls the origins of the team’s name. And of course there's the graphic motion of the Dome itself, which comes alive thanks to Jennifer Steinkamp’s "Swoosh."
Under the Dome
Now comes the real fun. Once you’re through the gates of the Dome, you’ll see the indoor concourse lined with thousands of framed jerseys. There's one for each high school team in California, so try to find your alma mater on the way to your seat.
On the inside of the arena, watch where you’re going. You’ll likely be distracted by the 40,000-square-foot double sided Halo Board dominating your view. That's a full acre of a quarter billion LED lights. If you still can't visualize that, just imagine 4,000 60-inch TV’s floating in a ring above your head. No matter where you sit, you’re going to feel like you’re hovering over the court, and you won’t have to squint to catch replays, player stats, or fan-cams.
The inspiration for Intuit comes from an unlikely source — an 87-year-old calculus teacher in Detroit. Jerry Hansen was Ballmer’s math teacher and football coach in high school. He gave Ballmer the idea behind Intuit Dome.
“He said ‘Don't forget the real fan. Don't forget the folks who sit up high. Don't make it all about the folks who are just paying a lot of money,’ and that really meant a lot to me,” Ballmer said at a media event last month.
Settle in for the show
Once you’re at your seat, the coziness of the stadium might surprise you. That’s because a seat in row 20 is about a half-court closer to the action than it is at the Crypto.com arena.
The arena offers the most leg room in the NBA, whether you’re sitting court side or in the upper bowl. Each seat has a USB port to charge your phone, a built-in controller to play games on the halo, and a decibel meter that gauges the movement and sound of each individual fan. The loudest and rowdiest will be rewarded with discounts on food and merch.
When you get to your seat, make sure to scream and stomp until you turn blue. If your decibel levels are high enough, you’ll get a notification on the Clippers app that you earned half-off on an L.A. street dog, or a Kawhi Leonard bobblehead, for example.
What to eat and where to get it
The concessions at Intuit are fully automated, and grab and go markets are everywhere. You'll just pick what you want from a buffet and walk right out. Tap your phone at the gate to check out, or you can pay with lung power by cashing in your well-earned discount through your Clippers account.
The entire journey was designed to take two minutes or less, and there are 200 shot clocks stationed around the Dome so you don’t miss a play.
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All 20 of Intuit Dome’s checkout-free markets have the same menu. Here are our picks to suit anybody’s taste.
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- LA Street Dog: An ode to a local delicacy — bacon-wrapped Niman Ranch all-beef hot dog, garlic mayo, seasoned peppers and onions, ketchup and mustard, on a split top Bolillo bun.
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- The Famous Sushi Dog: Like a sushi burrito in the size and portability of a hot dog. Available in spicy tuna and California.
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- K-Town BBQ Chicken & Waffle Fries: Crunchy, juicy chicken thighs tossed in Korean BBQ sauce from L.A.-favorite Seoul Sausage. Sweet, smoky, and delicious.
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- Empanadas: Sourced from local Continental Gourmet Market. Warm, flaky, and the perfect portable bite. Fillings will rotate throughout the season.
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For the Vegans:
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- Buffalo Cauliflower Wrap: Zesty Buffalo sauce, spinach wrap with pickled carrots, kale, tomato, and red peppers. All vegan ingredients.
A net-zero stadium
After buying the Clippers in 2014, Ballmer made the decision to build a new, fully carbon neutral home court for the team before the 2024-25 NBA season, when their lease at Crypto.com arena was set to expire.
To pull that off, the Dome was blanketed in solar panels which generate most of its energy. What it can’t produce, the Clippers purchase from renewable sources, powering everything down to the electric cooking equipment. Plus, the arena is “naturally acclimatized” so as to use less energy on cooling. The team even bought 26 fuel-friendly tugboats for the Port of Los Angeles to offset emissions.
“We actually took carbon dioxide out of the environment and put it into the concrete foundation in this building,” Ballmer told LAist.
How to get tickets
Tickets aren’t on sale just yet for the upcoming NBA season, unless you’re planning to buy a season membership. Single game tickets will likely be available for purchase later in August.
You can check out the Intuit Dome website for this season’s concerts. It’ll kick off this week with back to back Bruno Mars shows. Heavy hitters Olivia Rodrigo and Usher are scheduled to perform in the coming months.
