Tag: l.a. clippers

Inuit Dome has fully revolutionized the t-shirt toss at the Clippers’ new home

This is SERIOUSLY amazing to watch.

The L.A. Clippers had their 2024-25 home debut on Wednesday night, which was the first regular-season game ever played at the Intuit Dome.

It is a special arena for many reasons, including The Wall, but one of the most underrated features is the way that the stadium has revolutionized the promotional t-shirt.

While other stadiums across professional and collegiate sports have used archaic methodologies of t-shirt giveaways by literally tossing them into the crowd, Intuit Dome has taken the technology into the future with how they’re doing it in Inglewood.

INTUIT DOME: Everything we know about the Clippers new $2 billion arena, including ‘The Wall’ and the infinite inventory of toilets

Rather than using cheerleaders and mascots tossing t-shirts into the crowd from the court using either their hands or a cannon, Intuit Dome is using the halo scoreboard.

While we already knew this was coming, it is especially crazy to see it happen during an actual NBA game. Here is more (via ESPN):

“The Halo Board also can measure how loud fans are screaming, utilizing a system that can narrow audio level down to a single seat, according to Zucker. And it has T-shirt cannons at the top ready to launch free shirts to fans seated at the top of the arena.”

Every fan in the arena has an equal chance of getting a t-shirt no matter where they are sitting and the video graphics makes it look like the players are throwing it directly to them.

This is seriously amazing.

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Steve Ballmer joined The Wall at the Clippers’ Intuit Dome and predictably went nuts

The Clippers owner was one of the most enthusiastic fans in the building!

The L.A. Clippers hosted their first regular-season game at the Intuit Dome, their new arena in Inglewood, and it was quite a scene.

After their new home impressed fans during the preseason, it was time to open up shop for games that counted toward the standings. Even though the Clippers fell short to Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns, it was hard for KD and others to not notice The Wall.

One of the primary features at the new arena, everyone is going to talk about The Wall whenever they first witness all of its glory.

INTUIT DOME: Everything we know about the Clippers new $2 billion arena, including ‘The Wall’ and the infinite inventory of toilets

During the game against the Suns on Wednesday night, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer sat with the fans in this section.

He was then prominently featured on their massive scoreboard as a method to distract Phoenix:

Ballmer clearly made an effort to create a genuinely fun atmosphere at this NBA arena, and he is personally putting in the work to help give his team a home crowd advantage.

While it might not work every time, the efforts are beyond admirable.

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15 Intuit Dome photos of the new Clippers arena from their home preseason debut

This place looks AWESOME.

The L.A. Clippers have officially moved arenas and will officially play their home games at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood.

After years of sharing a space with the Los Angeles Lakers in downtown, the new basketball arena hosted its first basketball game ever on Monday night. It was just a preseason game but the Clippers defeated the Mavericks, 110-96.

Known for its unique take on a t-shirt cannon as well as an abundance of toilets and a giant scoreboard, there is a lot to love about this new stadium brought to you by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer.

So let’s take a quick review at how it looked during preseason play against Dallas.

INTUIT DOME: Everything we know about the Clippers new $2 billion arena, including ‘The Wall’ and the infinite inventory of toilets

The Clippers lost Paul George for nothing after trading so much (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander!) to originally acquire him

How bleak is it for the Clippers considering what they gave up to get Paul George?

Paul George will reportedly sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, officially marking the end of his tenure with the L.A. Clippers.

The Clippers ultimately paid a premium price to acquire George from the Thunder in 2019. While it was perhaps a necessary gamble because it helped the team also acquire Kawhi Leonard, it is wild to consider just how many assets the front office surrendered in this deal five years ago.

Even the organization released a statement acknowledging as much:

“We traded a lot to pair Paul and Kawhi, and in exchange, we had five seasons of contention. Even though we fell short of our ultimate objective, we appreciate the chances we had with Paul.”

Looking back, Danilo Gallinari was the main piece that made the deal work financially. But he was hardly the most important part of this move.

Some fans may forget that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander began his career with the Clippers. He was drafted at No. 11 overall and played his rookie season in Los Angeles before he was named All-Rookie Second Team.

While he wasn’t yet who he is today, he was the centerpiece of the deal for the Thunder. Knowing what we know now, Gilgeous-Alexander already has more trade value than George. But that wasn’t all that the Clippers gave up to make this happen.

RELATED: The Clippers fumbling Paul George in free agency has to be the most Clippers thing ever

Also included in the deal was a loaded collection of first-round picks, some of which have been more favorable than others. It seems the most valuable was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, which was used to pick Jalen Williams.

After earning NBA All-Rookie First-Team during his debut campaign with the Thunder in 2023, he had a breakout season with the Thunder last year and has proven himself as one of the most impressive young players in the NBA.

Oklahoma City also received the No. 18 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, which was used on Tre Mann, who was later rerouted to the Hornets as part of the trade for Gordon Hayward.

Other assets from L.A. in the deal included the No. 26 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft (which was recently used to select Dillon Jones from Weber State).

The Clippers also owned what became the No. 18 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft (used to seelct Jaime Jaquez Jr.), though Oklahoma City turned that into a protected 2025 first-round pick or an unprotected first-round pick in 2026 from the Heat.

That means Oklahoma City is still owed a first-round pick from Miami, the rights to swap picks with the Clippers in 2025, and a first-round pick from the Clippers in 2026.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are left with nothing back in return for George.

They still have Leonard and James Harden on the roster, but the odds of them contending next season do not look strong.

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ESPN blatantly encouraged Joel Embiid to recruit Paul George during an awkward interview

Joel Embiid and Paul George…future teammates in Philadelphia?

Joel Embiid was an impromptu TV panelist before Game 4 of the 2024 NBA Finals and his segment may have raised some eyebrows.

During his appearance on ABC’s NBA Countdown, the 2023 NBA MVP joined a panel that included L.A. Clippers star Paul George as well as Stephen A. Smith, Michael Wilbon, Malika Andrews and Kendrick Perkins.

Embiid spoke about the upcoming game between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks. Embiid’s 76ers were eliminated before they had a chance to play against Boston in the postseason.

While he called them a superteam, he made it clear that he doesn’t think this is the start of a dynasty because of tighter restrictions with the new collective bargaining agreement.

Embiid said it “hurts him a lot” to see the Celtics have a chance to play for a title, he said that hopefully the 76ers can find some pieces this offseason so it is him with a chance to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy next season.

Shortly after that, Wilbon agreed that perhaps one more piece is exactly what Philadelphia will need.

Kendrick Perkins didn’t hold any punches, though, and suggested that piece is sitting next to him: Paul George, who has a player option in his contract and could become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Philadelphia could create the cap space to sign George if the wing does not agree to a long-term extension with the Clippers.

But seeing it spelled out so plainly on national TV before the NBA Finals was quite a sight.

NBA fans reacted to the segment

 

NBA players paid tribute to Jerry West after the death of the logo, former MVP, and executive

NBA players paid tribute to one of the greatest to ever do it.

Jerry West, the 1969 NBA Finals MVP and 1972 NBA champion, has died. He was 86 years old.

West, who remains the logo of the league, was one of the most accomplished individuals in basketball history. Not only was a 14-time All-Star (earning the nod every year he played) but he was just as successful, if not more so, after his playing career.

He won eight championships as an executive, helping assemble some of the greatest teams to ever step on the court, including uniting Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal on the Los Angeles Lakers.

West was named NBA’s Executive of the Year two times, receiving the honor in 1995 and 2004.

His life touched decades of players and his memory was honored by several around the league who had the opportunity to learn from him on and off the court.

NBA players remembered The Logo

Russell Westbrook argued with a heckler who was bizarrely wearing a balloon hat on his head

This was so intense you might not have noticed the balloon hat.

Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook had a heated interaction with a fan at Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

Westbrook, who recently returned from an extended absence due to a left hand injury, approached someone who had attended the game between the Clippers and Hornets.

According to reporter Jeremy Grandison, who captured a video of the exchange, the person at the game was heckling Westbrook during the first half of the game. As a result, the former MVP decided to talk to the fan. It was so intense that you may not notice the fan was wearing a balloon hat.

WARNING: Some language in the video might not be safe for work.

Unfortunately, this happens all too frequently with Westbrook.

We have seen that he gets especially upset when anyone shows disrespect for his name or his family.

But this is the first time that we have seen Westbrook have such a heated back and forth with someone who was wearing a balloon hat on his head.

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James Harden was absolutely mesmerized by this poster dunk from LeBron James

James Harden could not believe what LeBron James had just done.

Even at 39 years old, LeBron James continues to stun his fans and his opponents alike with his athleticism on the basketball court.

During a Lakers victory over the Clippers in Los Angeles on Sunday, the four-time NBA Finals MVP threw down what was likely his most impressive dunk of the season.

LeBron finished with 25 points (11-of-19 FG), eight rebounds and seven assists in the win. But nothing was more memorable than his slam on Paul George during the third quarter, in which he took off from nearly the free-throw line.

Everyone watching the game was blown away by the highlight play but no one had a better view of it than Clippers guard James Harden.

The 2018 NBA MVP (who is a very expressive individual and often has reactions that turn into a meme) seemed like he could not believe what he had witnessed from LeBron on this possession:

Just look at Harden’s reaction and it tells you everything you need to know about how the other players around the league perceive LeBron.

They’re just as stunned as the fans are when they see him defy normal aging conventions in sports.

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Russell Westbrook hit Chris Paul with the iconic Dikembe Mutombo finger wag after blocking his shot

Westbrook had an amazing tribute to a legend on this blocked shot.

During a victory over the Golden State Warriors on Thursday, L.A. Clippers guard Russell Westbrook defended Chris Paul and blocked his shot.

Late in the second quarter right before the first-half buzzer, Paul attempted a jump shot 10 feet away from the basket. Westbrook quickly approached him from behind and was then able to viciously reject the field goal.

This was just the tenth block of the season for Westbrook, so it made sense that he would want to celebrate against his longtime on-court rival (and his friend).

But the celebration he chose was especially iconic as Westbrook decided to roll with the fabled Dikembe Mutombo finger wag after the play.

You can almost hear the “no no no no no!” coming from Westbrook’s index finger following this possession.

What made the celebration even better was watching the fans join along as the Clippers handed another loss to the Warriors.

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Ranking the 7 NBA contenders (the Bucks!) who should consider trading for Alex Caruso

We need to see Alex Caruso play for a winner.

Alex Caruso has already played an important role in winning an NBA championship and his talents are better suited with a contender.

Even after just a few games, unfortunately, it already seems like the dysfunctional Bulls will not afford him that opportunity in Chicago. So for the sake of all parties involved, it might be the best-case scenario for the franchise to trade him to a team where he actually has a chance to win.

For example, he proved his value again while defending Kevin Durant against the Suns on Wednesday. Caruso had a game-high plus-minus (24) in a one-point loss against Phoenix.

Ricky O’Donnell agreed that it makes more sense for Chicago to cash in on Caruso now, offering the following thoughts (via SB Nation):

“It’s a shame Caruso’s impact is being wasted on a team as hopeless as the Bulls. He deserves to be playing the type of meaningful games late the season that Chicago isn’t good enough to be involved in. If the Bulls ever decide to blow it up, Caruso should be the first player they trade. He’d be a great fit on any contender, and his ability to change the game goes so far beyond his box score numbers.”

Caruso was mentioned as a potential player on the move before the trade deadline last season and the Bulls reportedly coveted multiple first-round picks in return.

K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago has reported that Caruso remains “constantly sought after” by contenders. His trade value is likely higher right now than ever (which likely makes a deal very difficult for asset-poor teams like the Suns) and a bidding war may be on the horizon.

It is unclear if he could fetch multiple first-rounders in this market but if he were put on the block, the following teams should sprint to put in an offer: