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A New Arena In Inglewood?
Stan Kroenke, the man behind the proposed 80,000-seat football stadium adjacent to the
The two have had “multiple discussions,” according to the Los Angeles Times, that apparently include a new arena in addition to the football stadium and entertainment campus.
The venue would be on the current 298-acre site Kroenke already owns or on an adjacent parcel, five people with knowledge of the talks told the paper.
While the talks are said to be “exploratory,” it’s not clear what effect another arena in the immediate neighborhood could have on the Forum.
Damian Dovarganes/AP – Rams Stadium Site
Preliminary work is underway at the future site of the NFL’s Rams stadium complex near The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., Feb. 3, 2016.
The Clippers are currently tenants of the Staples Center, 20 miles to the northeast, with a lease that runs through 2024.
Ballmer has been public about his desire to move the Clippers to an arena of his own, but the Times’ sources acknowledge the talks are in extremely early stages.
“It’s too soon to say it would be L.A. Live lite, but if an arena were to bring 200 nights a year, that’s a tremendous amount of foot traffic that would benefit all the ancillary properties,” one of the sources reportedly said. Any such venue in Inglewood would also have to be approved by the city and the current site rezoned, and it’s an open question as to where the talent would come to book a third venue.
Live Nation has lately been partial to the Forum, while AEG schedules most of its arena events at Staples Center.
And, according to the Times, the Forum would be “protected as part of an agreement if a competing venue were to be built.”
The paper said the source for that information wouldn’t elaborate.
Should a venue be built and the Clippers move, the team would compete with the Lakers for suite, premium and other sales – and the Clippers would occupy the arena for a minimum of 41 dates during the regular NBA season.