Clippers to host 2026 NBA All-Star Game in new arena
The Los Angeles Clippers will host the 2026 All-Star Game in their new arena on Feb. 15, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Tuesday.
The game and the adjacent All-Star festivities will take place at the Intuit Dome, which is still under construction. Silver made the announcement during a media conference at the developing venue, which will open in August. He was joined by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr.
Silver acknowledged that the Clippers might be the first team to be named host for the All-Star game without a completed arena.
Adam Silver nodded when Steve Ballmer said he believed this is the first All-Star game awarded to a building that is not yet open. pic.twitter.com/Pxr45UIyQd
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) January 16, 2024
The Clippers broke ground on the 18,000-seat arena in 2021. It's located in Inglewood near SoFi Stadium and the Los Angeles Forum. Silver's reveal of the 75th NBA All-Star game site confirmed a previous report from The Athletic's Shams Charania.
“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.”
The Clippers offered a look inside the arena Tuesday alongside the All-Star announcement.
There’s a quick look around the Intuit Dome, the new home of the Clippers, as it stands today. pic.twitter.com/HOGBAbIIQO
— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) January 16, 2024
The Clippers currently play at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, a site they share with the Lakers. The Intuit Dome will provide the Clippers a home of their own as they seek to put distance between themselves and their Los Angeles rivals and further build their identity under Ballmer.
The Clippers have started selling season tickets at the Intuit Dome for the 2024-25 season. Ballmer has touted the Inglewood complex, including SoFi Stadium, as the “entertainment capital of the world.”
With Inglewood slated to host in 2026, the NBA has the site of its next three All-Star weekends planned out. The Pacers will host this year's festivities in Indianapolis. The Warriors are scheduled to host the 2025 All-Star weekend in San Francisco.
The 2026 edition will mark the seventh NBA All-Star in the Los Angeles area, which is a record for the league. The 2018, 2011, 2004, 1983, 1972 and 1963 events were held in Southern California. The MVP of each of those All-Star games was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021: LeBron James (2018), Kobe Bryant (2011), Shaquille O’Neal (2004), Julius Erving (1983), Jerry West (1972) and Bill Russell (1963).
