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The cross-hallway “rivalry” is over. Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Taylor Swift and other beloved figures honored in the rafters at STAPLES Center can rest easy, as their accomplishments will no longer be covered by the arena’s insecure little brother franchise, as Vincent Bonsignore of the L.A. Daily News reports that the LA Clippers are closing in on a deal to build a new arena in the city of Inglewood.
Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times followed that news up by reporting that the Clippers plan to announce the deal Thursday.
From a Lakers perspective, this actually does help the team. With one less franchise’s schedule to account for in STAPLES, NBA schedule makers will have an easier time not scheduling back-to-backs and other scheduling quirks.
It also means players like Shaquille O’Neal won’t have to suffer the indignity of having their retired jersey covered up by a picture of Austin Rivers, which you can’t prove doesn’t help the Lakers.
However, this move may not come any time soon, because as Bonsignore notes, “the Clippers are locked into a lease at Staples Center that runs through 2024.”
Harrison Faigen is co-host of the Locked on Lakers podcast (subscribe here), and you can follow him on Twitter at @hmfaigen.