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Accessibility statementSkip to main content Democracy Dies in Darkness SubscribeSign in Democracy Dies in Darkness NBAWizardsTop 100 players NBAWizardsTop 100 players AT THE NBA’S NEW $2 BILLION ARENA, A UNIQUE ‘WALL’ OF FANS STEALS THE SHOW The Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Dome made its regular season debut Wednesday night, and its distinctive features left an immediate impression. 6 min New! Catch up quickly with key takeaways Close alert banner 400 Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer cheers at the front of “The Wall” during the first regular season game at Intuit Dome on Wednesday night. (Harry How/Getty Images) By Ben Golliver Updated October 24, 2024 at 7:20 a.m. EDT|Published October 24, 2024 at 7:02 a.m. EDT INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Steve Ballmer, the billionaire former CEO of Microsoft, has pulled out all the stops to build fan support in the decade since he bought the Los Angeles Clippers. Skip to end of carousel THE SPORTS MOMENT NEWSLETTER (The Washington Post) Reporter Ava Wallace takes you through the buzziest, most engaging sports stories of the week. Sign up for the weekly newsletter End of carousel Those efforts include: launching a “streetlights over spotlights” campaign aimed at outflanking the glamorous Los Angeles Lakers when it comes to authenticity; holding cash giveaways to incentivize fans to show up to games early; refurbishing hundreds of basketball courts across the city; and throwing annual birthday parties for the team’s “Chuck the Condor” mascot involving countless other team mascots from around the country. Over the years, Ballmer also poached all-star forward Kawhi Leonard in free agency, traded a host of draft picks for Paul George, signed Russell Westbrook and acquired James Harden in an effort to construct a championship contender filled with stars who hail from Southern California. Subscribe for unlimited access to The Post You can cancel anytime. Subscribe The Clippers’ latest — and most expensive — fan-focused initiative: Intuit Dome, a $2 billion futuristic arena that hosted its first regular season NBA game Wednesday. The boss spared no expense while spending years designing his dream basketball palace, and he equipped it with a 38,000 square-foot halo Jumbotron, facial recognition software to handle merchandise transactions and cell phone chargers at every seat, among many other innovations. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement But the heart and soul of Ballmer’s vision for the arena was “The Wall,” 51 rows of seats that rise straight up from the floor without breaks for luxury boxes or arena tiers. The idea was to create an imposing soccer-style supporter section for diehards behind one of the baskets to lead chants, distract opposing free throw shooters and inject Clippers games with excitement. Ballmer screams until he is red in the face from his courtside seat, and he desperately wanted thousands of fans to share his enthusiasm, so much so that seats in “The Wall” are for Clippers fans only and can’t be listed on resale websites. 🏈 Follow Sports Follow For years, Doc Rivers, the Clippers’ former coach, would implore the team’s fans to create a true home-court advantage for playoff games. His pleas followed decades of losing: The Clippers relocated to Los Angeles from San Diego in 1984, didn’t win a playoff series until 2006 and were finally sold to Ballmer in 2014 after disgraced former owner Donald Sterling was caught on tape making racist comments. Meanwhile, the Lakers kept winning championships. The two franchises shared the downtown Crypto.com Arena, and the Clippers, with little history to commemorate, had to settle for raising screens during their games to cover the Lakers’ retired jerseys and title banners in the rafters. The opening of Intuit Dome has given the Clippers a sparkling home of their own, and it’s created a place for their long-suffering fans to breathe easy, free from constant comparisons to the Lakers. Though the Clippers lost some of their star power when George and Westbrook departed as free agents over the summer, they put up a spirited fight without an injured Leonard in a 116-113 overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. More importantly, “The Wall” was introduced to the basketball world in all its quirky glory. Ballmer got the night started by hopping into “The Wall,” dancing on the Jumbotron and screaming a loud welcome to Clippers fans. His energy wasn’t immediately matched: There were plenty of empty seats when the game tipped at 7 p.m. local time, and the crowd fell mostly quiet when Harden couldn’t get the Clippers’ offense on track in the first half. “The Wall” wasn’t immediately populated with thousands of screaming maniacs like Ballmer had hoped, but a smaller contingent of 100 fans or so near the court cheered in unison as a group leader kept the rhythm by banging on a drum. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement “It was fun having fans engaged like that, on their feet, chanting all night long and supporting us,” Clippers center Ivica Zubac said. “It was really loud. Hopefully it stays like that every game.” Coming out of halftime, the group donned matching blue ponchos as storm graphics played on the Jumbotron above — a goofy tie-in to the franchise’s nautical “Make Waves” slogan. Right on cue, the Clippers took the lead with a third-quarter push, sending “The Wall” into a frenzy that helped energize the entire building. “The Wall” delighted in tormenting free throw shooters all night, swaying back and forth in what proved to be a successful attempt to encourage Suns star Kevin Durant to miss a pair of fourth-quarter foul shots. Those miscues earned every fan in the building a free chicken sandwich, prompting the loudest ovation of the night. Advertisement Story continues below advertisement “I absolutely loved ‘The Wall’ that they’ve got,” Durant said, noting that it reminded him of playing at Oklahoma State during his one college season at the University of Texas. “That’s insane. I know in the playoffs and once people get more comfortable with the arena, it’s going to be insane here. I was just staring at [‘The Wall’] the whole time. You’re not used to that. It’s going to be a tough road environment for whoever comes in here.” In the final minute of regulation, the 14-time all-star got his revenge by drilling a game-tying jumper over two defenders to force overtime. Durant and teammates Jusuf Nurkic and Bradley Beal then stared down “The Wall” to ice the game by combining to make 10 free throws in the extra period. Their handiwork from the charity stripe restored a hush to a building that had come alive for a solid hour. “You definitely can hear the crowd,” said Durant, who finished with a team-high 25 points to go with seven rebounds. “You know they’re excited. They were this close to getting a stop, and then I rose up and shot that and made that. Then it was silent in there. That’s one of the best feelings, especially late in a game.” Advertisement Story continues below advertisement Harden, who finished with 29 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, missed a free throw and committed a turnover in the closing seconds of overtime as the game slipped away. The Clippers clearly have a lot of work to do to make a playoff push: Leonard must return from ongoing knee problems, the 35-year-old Harden must prove he can carry the offense for months at a time, and the fans must keep coming back now that the fanfare of opening night has passed and lesser opponents await on the upcoming schedule. Even so, the Suns left with a taste of Intuit Dome’s potential if “The Wall” fulfills Ballmer’s grandiose plan. “I missed a free throw and I was pissed,” Suns guard Devin Booker said. “[Durant] missed two down there, too. That s--- might work.” Share 400 Comments NBA HAND CURATED * At the NBA’s new $2 billion arena, a unique ‘Wall’ of fans steals the show Earlier today At the NBA’s new $2 billion arena, a unique ‘Wall’ of fans steals the show Earlier today * LeBron and Bronny James savor the moment as they make NBA history October 23, 2024 LeBron and Bronny James savor the moment as they make NBA history October 23, 2024 * NBA awards predictions: It’s Luka Doncic’s turn to win MVP October 22, 2024 NBA awards predictions: It’s Luka Doncic’s turn to win MVP October 22, 2024 View 3 more stories NewsletterAs news breaks Sports Alerts Breaking news email alerts on major sports news. Sign up Subscribe to comment and get the full experience. 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