INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- The NBA is bringing the 2026 All-Star Game to the LA Clippers' new arena, which is set to open in time for the 2024-25 season.
"I was giddy when I heard it was possible and even giddier when the NBA said we were getting it," said Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, who attended Tuesday's announcement inside the under-construction Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
Commissioner Adam Silver spent an hour taking a tour of the construction site with Ballmer before the news conference and came away very impressed.
"I've seen pretty much every major arena in the world at this point, 32 years in the NBA," Silver said. "And this is unlike anything I've ever seen. It starts with the fact that Steve Ballmer chose to build a basketball-centric arena ... He wanted to build this arena to make basketball the centerpiece. On top of that, of course, he ran Microsoft. He's one of the world's great technologists, and he brought all that learning [to this arena]. He also is someone who, at this point in his life, had the time to personally imprint his vision on this building."
The Clippers plan to move in by June and open the building in August.
"We are appreciative," Ballmer said. "The league gave us a year to get our act together so that we can be not just perfect but perfect when the All-Star Game comes here. Just think, if you want to have the pinnacle of basketball, you have to have the very best players in the world playing here."
Silver said the Intuit Dome will be the basketball venue for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"I think everyone knows he likes things loud," Silver said of Ballmer. "It's going to be loud in here. It's this incredible experience."
Ballmer and Silver spoke on the floor of the arena to a soundtrack of clanging and sawing as construction continued around them.
"We said, 'Could we stop the sawing for eight minutes?'" Silver said, "And they said no."
The privately financed arena will house all of the Clippers' basketball and business operations, with an eye on landing major events.
The first will be the 75th edition of All-Star Weekend.
The event returns to Southern California for the first time since 2018, when it was played in downtown Los Angeles at the arena formerly known as Staples Center. It will be the seventh All-Star Game in the area, with two having been held at the Forum in Inglewood.
The weekend begins Feb. 13, 2026, with the Rising Stars game for top rookies and second-year players at Intuit Dome.
The All-Star Saturday night Feb. 14 includes the skills, 3-point and slam dunk contests. The All-Star Game will be Feb. 15.
Other related events will be held at the Ballmer-owned Kia Forum and the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Silver said the Lakers opted not to be part of the festivities because of other events already booked for Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.
Indianapolis will host next month, and San Francisco will be the site in 2025 at Chase Center, the Golden State Warriors' arena that opened in 2019.
Information from ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk was used in this report.