Clippers' Steve Ballmer Moves Closer to Purchasing Forum and Ending Turf Battle With James Dolan
The Los Angeles Clippers are being run like a proper NBA organization under the ownership of Steve Ballmer.
The next step for the billionaire is to get his team its own facility. Ballmer owns land in Los Angeles and wants to build an arena right near The Forum, which is owned by MSG, helmed by New York Knicks owner James Dolan. Dolan has sued to prevent the Clippers from building a facility near The Forum, but it appears Ballmer may just buy the venue to erase the problem.
Sources: Clips' Ballmer nears deal to buy Forum https://t.co/A88kFDZIw2
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) March 2, 2020
Buying the venue would allow Ballmer to either knock it down or just own it and take in the revenues. Owning two arenas right near each other would mean Ballmer wouldn't have to worry about competition from a dinky east coast counterpart. He is the competition.
If #Clippers Steve Ballmer buys forum (bye MSG) don’t bet on him against still building new basketball arena for Clippers. #Inglewood exploding. Stan Kronke and Ballmer get it!
— Fred Roggin (@FredNBCLA) March 2, 2020
The Clippers are actually competitive now, and getting a personal arena would make Ballmer even more money that he is already making. The irony from all of this is that him buying the Lakers' old arena from the current Knicks owner would be the Clippers' path to economic success.