Breaking down the LA Clippers new home ahead of Intuit Dome grand opening
The Los Angeles Clippers have been playing their home games in downtown Los Angeles at the Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as Staples Center, which is also home to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Clippers' NBA rivals.
But the Clippers step out of the Lakers shadow beginning on Thursday as they officially open the Intuit Dome, their new mega stadium in Inglewood, California.
"GMA3" got an exclusive look at the Intuit Dome, which spans 26 acres of land and includes close to 18,000 seats. The grand opening will mark the first time in 25 years that the team has its own venue -- the multibillion-dollar passion project of Clippers owner Steve Ballmer that is changing the game.
The mastermind behind the new Dome comes from Halo Sports and Entertainment, an umbrella brand that also owns the Clippers, the Intuit Dome, the G League's Ontario Clippers, and Inglewood's Kia Forum.
Leading the charge is Gillian Zucker, CEO of Halo Sports and Entertainment, who also serves as the Clippers' president of business operations.
Zucker and her team spent years designing and figuring out what it would take to create the best arena in the United States.
"I think that you can find pieces of this arena everywhere in the world, because we traveled the world looking at arenas, exploring the types of things that the fans who were at those arenas loved," Zucker told "GMA3" anchor DeMarco Morgan during a tour of the facility.
In the stadium lies a massive video screen known as the Halo Board, which is a double-sided 4K display in an arena setting with approximately 44,000 square feet of digital space.
"Some of the letters on it are over 2 feet tall, so it is massive and I think it's going to provide a pretty incredible experience," Zucker said.
The Intuit Dome offers a practice facility for athletes, complete with multiple basketball courts. Fans can enjoy an upscale menu featuring sushi and game-day classics like chicken fingers and hot dogs.
"So we tasted about 20 different chicken fingers before we chose the supplier for it," Zucker said. "We've spent a lot of time making sure that each of these food items is something that you're going to crave the next day."
This stadium offers fans who want to see a game but can't afford the up-close tickets can buy upper-level seats and still be interactive.
The Halo Board is so large that you can watch the game from anywhere in the stadium. There are also mounted T-shirt cannons all along the top of the Halo Board, and they move up and down so that every single seat in the Dome has a chance to catch a shirt.
Zucker says the Clippers have prioritized community involvement while transitioning into their new arena. For example, inside the arena is displayed a jersey representing every high school basketball team in the state of California, for both girls and boys. This, Zucker said, is so that kids from all over California can come and they can find themselves in Intuit Dome.
"We built this for them," Zucker said of the community comprised of the team's fans. "And we wanted everybody to feel like this was a place that enhanced the neighborhood."
Intuit Dome has already made a name for itself -- it will host the 2026 NBA All-Star Game and will serve as the Olympic basketball venue in 2028. The venue earned these bids before even opening the stadium doors.
The Intuit Dome has over 20 concerts scheduled before the Clippers' inaugural game, which will feature a performance by singer Bruno Mars and takes place on November 22 when they face the Sacramento Kings.
