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Steve Ballmer Letter to Clipper Nation

Dear Clipper Nation,

Since acquiring the L.A. Clippers in 2014, I have been adamant that our players, coaches and staff receive the support they need to do their best work on and off the court. I’ve also committed to giving our fans and their families the NBA’s best game experience.

To date, we have greatly invested in our players, our coaching and support staff, our fan experience and our community.

Today, we are expanding that investment by entering into an agreement to explore an opportunity to build a new arena for the Clippers in the City of Inglewood. I have said from day one that we need to plan for the future. This agreement helps us do that by expanding our options.

The prospect of a new state-of-the-art NBA arena would allow us greater latitude to influence our game schedule, particularly as it relates to weekend games that are so important to our fans. We also want to offer our fans premium experiences in terms of technology, club spaces and other amenities; that’s easier to realize in a new arena.

This new arena would be 100 percent privately funded. No public dollars would be used for this project.

STAPLES Center has proudly been the L.A. Clippers’ home court since 1999. It will remain so until at least June 2024, when our lease expires. AEG, which operates STAPLES Center, remains our valued partner.

During the upcoming planning process, the Clippers and the City of Inglewood will work diligently together to evaluate this project in great detail. Regardless of where the Clippers take the court after 2024, I remain committed to helping the great city of Los Angeles and its citizens thrive. We look forward to sharing our progress as we continue along our journey to deliver championship results for our fans and the entire Los Angeles region.

Go Clips!

Steve