Clippers to host 2026 NBA All-Star Game in new arena

While this will be the fourth exhibition game for the city of Los Angeles, it will be the first hosted solely by the Clippers, who have been co-tenants with the Lakers at what's now known as Crypto.com Arena since it opened in 1999. 

The former Staples Center is the only arena that is home to two NBA teams, but the long-awaited construction of the Intuit Dome will mean that all 30 franchises will have their own place to call home.

It's customary for sports leagues to bring their major showcases to the newest or at least the most recently renovated venue as soon as possible, and the NBA is no different. The Indiana Pacers, with hefty investments from local and state funds, finished a two-year renovation on Gainbridge Fieldhouse before the current season and will host the upcoming All-Star Game in February. (Originally known as Conseco Fieldhouse, the Pacers' home also opened in 1999 after years in Market Square Arena.) 

The 2025 game will be hosted at the Chase Center, the current home of the Golden State Warriors which opened in late 2019 and brought the Dubs back to San Francisco after spending nearly forty years across the Bay in Oakland.

The arrival of the All-Star Game in Inglewood also speaks to how much the fortunes have changed for the Clippers franchise over the years. Donald Sterling, the ex-owner of the Clippers who was exiled from the NBA almost a decade ago, was infamously cheap with the team and even hitched his wagon onto the Lakers in order to avoid building a home for the Clippers. (He also moved the team to L.A. without the league's permission, which created an acrimonious relationship with other owners from the jump.) Even if Steve Ballmer hasn't had overwhelming success as the team's governor, his time as owner has improved the team's standing around the NBA, and that has gone a long way toward getting the Intuit Dome off the ground.