The start of the NBA season is officially 7 days out and the league has reached peak excitement when looking towards the future. A new crop of superstars has piqued interest and taken the NBA to new heights after a record-breaking 2023 season in terms of viewership and revenue.
As we were looking forward to new and exciting stories for the 2024 season, it would be hard not to mention what is going on out in Los Angeles. No, I’m not talking about the eventual dumpster fire that is the Bronny/Lakers disaster waiting to happen.
I’m referring to the brand-new, state-of-the-art, 2 billion-dollar stadium Clippers owner Steve Ballmer built and will open on Wednesday the 23rd when the Clippers welcome the Suns into their new home.
The Intuit Dome, which took nearly 4 years to complete, is an extension of Ballmer who made his fortune in the tech world as the former CEO of Microsoft. The technology built into the arena is unprecedented, with revolutionary concepts sure to be copied as new stadiums and arenas are built in the future.
First, the seats themselves which are notoriously known to be crammed and uncomfortable, will feature heating and massaging capabilities with lightning chargers at every seat. Ballmer said that with each seat, arena workers will have the ability to measure decibel levels and will reward the consistently loudest fans with free prizes.
The arena also features a one-of-a-kind, wraparound “halo” jumbotron that has all sorts of interesting information about the players and the current status of the NBA. Ballmer said he intended for even the worst seat in the house to have a great view of the Halo screen.
Another feature of the arena that Ballmer personally had a hand in was the arena bathrooms. The Intuit Dome has more bathrooms than the average sports stadium which allows fans to spend less time in line and more time watching the game. "I really hate it when people wait in line," Ballmer said. Waiting in line for the bathroom, he added, "stops people from getting back into the game" and can frustrate fans.
This technological marvel is sure to set the bar for future venues and fans are pumped for the opening next Wednesday!
