L.A. Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer Reportedly Nearing Deal To Buy The Forum

Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is reportedly engaged in advanced negotiations to purchase The Forum in Inglewood, CA, according to ESPN.

The famed venue is at the center of a dispute between Ballmer and the Madison Square Garden Company, who are the current owners of the 17,505-person capacity arena. Ballmer purchased a 26-acre parcel of land barely a mile away from The Forum in 2017, ostensibly to build a new, state-of-the-art arena for the Clippers, who currently share the Staples Center in Los Angeles with the Lakers. Standing in the way of Ballmer’s acquisition of The Forum are several ongoing lawsuits between him, the state of California, and MSG, who allege that the city of Inglewood broke an agreement that the city would not promote competition to The Forum.

MSG chairman and New York Knicks owner, James L. Dolan, has accused the city of Inglewood of being in bed with Ballmer and making a back-door deal to sell Ballmer the land near The Forum, which the city of Inglewood bought from Dolan after assuring him it would be used for a technology park. In Inglewood, there is also a lawsuit blocking the planned construction of a new arena on behalf of IRATE (Inglewood Residents Against Takings and Evictions), which is partially financed by MSG.

With both sides in a legal stalemate without the possibility of either running out of money for legal fees, the parties have reportedly become open to resolving the quagmire. Sources close to the negotiations have stated that the best solution for both sides would be for MSG to sell The Forum to Ballmer, at which point he will most likely demolish it as he builds a new arena for the Clippers. In January 2013, the Clippers signed on for a 10-year contract extension to continue playing at the Staples Center until June 2024.

The Clippers would neither confirm nor deny the report but issued the following statement to ESPN: “The Clippers continue to pursue plans to build a state-of-the-art, 18,000-seat basketball arena and entertainment complex in Inglewood and are currently working with the city to complete the comprehensive Environmental Impact Report… We are examining every possible way to resolve our differences with Madison Square Garden Co. regarding our new arena.”

“The other side is just trying to slow us down a little bit,” Ballmer said last September. “But it’s another thing where we’re grinders. We’re long-term players, and we’re grinders.”

[H/T ESPN]