Clippers say goodbye to downtown Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES - Sunday was a cold and soggy day in Southern California and inside the Crypto.com Arena, the Los Angeles Clippers were marking the end of a 25-year era. 

Often an afterthought in a purple and gold shadow, LA’s lesser-known basketball team played their final regular season home game downtown, and LA's two NBA teams will no longer be roommates. Having to share an arena with the Lakers, Sparks, and Kings, since 1999, the Clippers closed out with yet another matinee matchup. 

"I could speak for the unit and say we’re tired of all these early games," Clippers’ star Paul George said on Media Day back in October. "It’ll be nice for the schedule to be a little bit more in our favor." 

Beginning this summer, the Clippers will move roughly 14 miles southwest into the brand-new Intuit Dome in Inglewood. Construction continues around the clock for the $2 billion privately funded arena set to open in August, and for the first time, the Clippers will have a home of their own.

With the playoffs beginning next weekend, the Clippers opted to rest most of their starters and went with a starting lineup of Xavier Moon, Terance Mann, Amir Coffey, P.J. Tucker and Mason Plumlee, against the Houston Rockets. 

The Clippers put up a good fight but lost their final regular-season game 116-105. 

Take a look back on some key moments inside the downtown LA arena and what’s to come in Inglewood below. 

Clippers vs. Lakers

It’s hard to imagine, but the Clippers actually played their first home game at Staples Center before the Lakers did. The Lamar Odom-led Clippers took on Gary Payton and the Seattle Supersonics on Nov. 2, 1999, and the following night, the Lakers played the Vancouver Grizzlies. The Clippers lost and, to no surprise, the Lakers dominated with Shaquille O’Neal, A.C. Green, Glen Rice, Rick Fox and Brian Shaw finishing in double figures. Going into the 1999-2000 season, the Lakers franchise had 11 championships and the Clippers had just six playoff appearances.

With that being established, one of the hottest debates in the league is whether there’s a rivalry between the Clippers and Lakers. Some longtime fans would argue that in the 213 era (the years Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have been Clippers), two other teams arguably antagonize them more – Dallas and Phoenix. Clipper fans have grown accustomed to the glory of the world-famous LA Lakers and are aware they are simply in another lane.

Several Clippers grew up idolizing legendary Laker Kobe Bryant. After his passing, Paul George narrated the Clippers’ tribute to Bryant. Weeks later, Kawhi Leonard won the first Kobe Bryant MVP Award. 

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"Words can’t explain how happy I am … he’s a big inspiration in my life. He did a lot for me," Leonard said after the emotional 2020 NBA All-Star game.

While on Media Day 2023, George said he hoped the new arena would lead to better scheduling, he also said it’s been an honor to play in the same arena that "Kobe Built."

"Growing up a lifelong Kobe fan, and what Staples, now Crypto meant to me and being able to play in there. It was awesome, but that was short-lived…it’ll be nice to have our own space next year," he said.

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The Clippers made their first Western Conference Finals in 2021 and have yet to win a championship. In their 54-year franchise history, they’ve made 17 playoff appearances, including five in the Lob City Era. Seventeen is also the number of championships the Lakers now have. 

The "Hallway Series" officially ended on Feb. 28, and the Lakers won the series 3-1 this season. Overall, the LA Clippers have an impressive 30-9 record against the Lakers in the past decade. 

In his years as the owner of the LA Clippers, Steve Ballmer felt it was essential for the Clippers to start having their own identity. 

"Let's face it, we're not the number one sports team at least playing in [the] Crypto.com [Arena]. And we have a very loyal, tough customer, our fan base, because of all the years in which the team has been less good. And it was quite clear that living in the shadow of anybody else wasn't going to work, because we wanted to be the preeminent team in the preeminent market in the world."

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It's not just the Lakers. The LA Kings have won two Stanley Cups and the LA Sparks three WNBA championships since the downtown LA arena's opening.

Tyronn Lue on His Legacies with Laker Nation and Clipper Nation

Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has several years’ worth of memories as a two-time champion as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers and now as the head coach of the LA Clippers. He was a part of that 1999-00 Lakers squad that opened Staples Center 25 years ago. In 2000, he took over as the Clips head coach after the front office dismissed Doc Rivers.

"Winning two championships," Lue said when asked what he’ll remember most about the arena. "Those were some memorable days. I know that was a long time ago, but those were my best days."

When it comes to being a part of the Clippers organization, he recalls making it the Western Conference Finals. "We had a chance to beat Utah and go to the conference finals. Just having the fans stay here and to celebrate it, it was a great day for Clipper Nation." 

Fans Share Some of Their Favorite Memories inside the Staples Center/Crypto.com Arena

The 1999-00 Clippers squad faced many challenges and won only 15 games that season. 

Longtime Clippers fan Brynn Hamwright admits her time at the Crypto.com Arena has come with highs and lows. 

"Well, it’s not my all-time favorite place, I will say that," she said. 

Being a fan of this team is not for the faint of heart and while there’s been a lot of heartbreak, there have also been moments of triumph. 

She continued to explain, "We do have a lot of memories here…CP3 (Chris Paul), Blake (Griffin), all of Lob City. And our first Western Conference Finals appearance, that was awesome. That was a wonderful, wonderful thing for the whole franchise. It’s bittersweet, but I just can’t wait to get to our new home and have new memories, win our first championship and get the hell out of here."

See what other fans had to say about their favorite memories during the Clippers' tenure in downtown LA below.

Looking Ahead to the Future

While designed as a true basketball arena, the Intuit Dome will host several other events. 

"I love music, but we built this place about basketball, and there's tons of things that have kind of influenced my thinking. I want energy, I want tightness," Ballmer said during the 2024 "Pollstar Live!" conference. "We're about basketball, basketball, basketball. Keep it tight, keep it intense, keep the fans involved."

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Bruno Mars will kick off the party with two sold-out shows on Aug. 15 and 16 and in September, Usher will hit the stage for his "Past, Present, and Future Tour," on Sept. 21 and 22. 

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It’s not Goodbye Just Yet

While Sunday was their last regular season game at the downtown LA arena, there’s still more Clippers basketball to be played. The Clippers take on the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the NBA playoffs. They secured the fourth seed and home-court advantage in their final playoff run in downtown LA. 

The first round of the NBA playoffs begins April 20.