NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
INGLEWOOD, Calif.—Let’s talk about The Wall, the most unique feature of the state-of-the-art $2 billion Intuit Dome, which opened with its first NBA regular-season game Wednesday night—an L.A. Clippers overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns.
The Wall is a steep, 51-row multiple section of seats behind the basket adjacent to the visitor’s bench that’s unlike anything in any other professional hoops arena.
More from Sportico.com
“I was just staring at it the whole time,” Suns star Kevin Durant said. “The seats go straight up. The noise is different from that vantage point. It’s going to be a tough road environment for anyone who comes in here.”
The Wall did its part in pushing for a win. Durant missed two fourth-quarter free throws in the face of the frenzied fans, though the Suns wound up prevailing in OT, 116-113, to spoil the inaugural contest.
The section was the brainchild of Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who had plenty of input into the design of the building. The fact is there are stipulations for sitting in that area. It’s for Clipper fans only. No one can wear an opposing team jersey. The cost is $1,299 for the 41 home games, or a relatively inexpensive $32 a game.
When you’re worth $124.8 billion, you can afford to make those calls. Ballmer bought the team in 2014 for $2 billion when the NBA elected to eject then-owner Donald Sterling. According to Sportico’s most recent NBA valuations, the franchise is worth $4.56 billion, and that was before he opened the new arena.
Mat Ishbia, the owner of the Suns, was seated at courtside, making his own judgment about how to replace 32-year-old Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix.
Ballmer said earlier this year that fans occupying the 4,500-seat Wall have to follow the team on social media and buy a jersey. “You’re not going to sit there if you’re not really on our team,” he said.
The concept may take some getting used to. Though the Clippers announced an attendance of 18,300, there were plenty of empty seats in the building and a good sprinkling of them throughout The Wall, which starts with three sections at floor level and expands to five…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/intuit-dome-opens-clipper-foes-130000600.html
Author : Sportico
Publish date : 2024-10-24 13:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
