Bulls’ Lonzo Ball gives glowing verdict on Clippers’ new home

The The Chicago Bulls pulled off a big upset win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night, marching into the new Intuit Dome and coming away with a comfortable 112-99 win. This was Chicago’s first time playing in a brand new arena, but the Bulls quickly adjusted and got comfortable.

Not only did the Bulls manage to get the win, but they also enjoyed the new arena. Guard Lonzo Ball gave credit to the owner of the Clippers Steve Ballmer and raved about how much he loved to play on the way there, via ClutchPoints’ Tomer Azarly.

“I actually like this arena a lot,” Ball said. “I know I didn’t shoot well, but shout out to (Steve) Ballmer for what he thought of us. This is probably the best away dressing room I’ve ever been in. The stadium, you can say that a lot of thought was put into him and you should praise him for doing it.

There’s a bunch of stuff I’ve never seen. … He is a very thoughtful man, he thinks about the visiting team. We appreciate that.”

Despite his team’s success, Ball struggled in his first time in the new arena. The former UCLA star finished the game with just five points on 2-for-9 shooting and 1-for-8 from 3-point range. He certainly won’t be happy with that performance in his home state of California, but he’ll love the fact that the Bulls still won.

Ball is not the first player to praise the new arena. Many stars around the league have been impressed with the Clippers’ new facilities this season including Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns. Ballmer and company seem to have taken a modern approach to building the new arena that makes it comfortable for fans and players of both teams.

Unfortunately for Ball, barring a trade, he won’t be able to return to the Intuit Dome until next season. The Bulls and Clippers aren’t scheduled to meet again until Feb. 26 at the United Center in Chicago. The Bulls won’t return to Los Angeles to meet the Clippers until next season.

Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a certificate in critical sports studies. He has a lifelong passion for sports and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.