It has now been ten years since Steve Ballmer bought the Clippers. Is this a success? Overall yes, since seven of the ten best regular seasons in the history of the franchise have been achieved since 2014. And the Clippers' only conference final dates from 2021.
So he doesn't regret his choice. “Is there a team for sale in a nearby city that I love? They say yes, but it’s the Clippers… My theory is that we can do what we want if we put our mind to it”he said to Los Angeles Times.
He will then put two billion dollars on the table. A huge sum for the time, when no franchise was valued at more than 1.5 billion in 2014. And the Clippers were estimated at “only” 575 million…
“The tender process has started. I was always up for it, but we were in the bidding process and I just said, 'I'm going to get this team.' People thought I paid too much, but I got the team. I probably paid 10% too much, maybe, than was necessary”he remembered in September 2023.
Still things to prove
Steve Ballmer once again took out two billion for his next project: the new Clippers venue, the Intuit Dome, which will welcome the Californians to Inglewood from the start of next season. “It was clear to me that we had to have our “home”, our identity”he assures, adding the new visual identity, recently unveiled.
Clippers fans also won the organization of the 2026 All-Star Game, as well as brand new fields. In fact, the owner of the franchise, with the Ballmer Group, is investing millions of dollars to renovate playgrounds. “Having an impact on children is important to me. A fan will tell me that he passed by a Clippers field and I think that will be very, very cool. »
A new page for the Clippers will therefore open from the start of the school year, for a new decade of projects and desire, with the title as the objective. “I love our craziest fans. I like the culture of action: we are motivated, we have things to prove since we have never done it. Let's go! »he says to conclude.
