ShareLOS ANGELES: The Los Angeles' Clippers new Intuit Dome, set to open next August, will host the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, the league said Tuesday.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver made the announcement at a press conference at the still-under-construction arena, alongside Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass.
The All-Star game will return to Southern California for the first time since 2018, when it was held at Staples Center -- now Crypto.com Arena -- the venue currently shared by the Los Angeles Lakers and the Clippers. Ballmer, who became the Clippers' majority owner in 2014, said in 2017 he wanted to move the team to its own arena.
The $2 billion Intuit Dome will take the team to suburban Inglewood, not far from the Forum arena that formerly housed the Lakers. "We are building Intuit Dome to house and showcase the best basketball players in the world, and we are honored they will all be under our roof for NBA All-Star," Ballmer said. "Along with Inglewood and Los Angeles, we thank the NBA for bringing the league's marquee event to Intuit Dome in 2026." Silver said the new venue "promises to present a unique and innovative live basketball experience which will be an extraordinary venue for the NBA All-Star Game in 2026."
Silver later told reporters the new venue would also host basketball games at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. A spokesperson for LA 2028 said how to incorporate the new venue into the 2028 Olympics would be discussed at a later date. "We are exploring optimizations to our venue plan and will discuss them with City of Los Angeles officials in the months ahead," the spokesperson said.
With Tuesday's announcement, the NBA has the next three All-Star venues lined up. The Indiana Pacers will host this season's edition on February 18 in Indianapolis. The 2025 edition will be at Chase Center, the Golden State Warriors' arena in San Francisco that opened in 2019. The 2026 All-Star Game will be played on February 15, with the weekend including the usual festivities surrounding the mid-season exhibition, including the Rising Stars showcase for top rookies and second-year players, the Skills Challenge, 3-Point Challenge and Slam Dunk contest.—AFP
