- The Intuit Dome, the new home of the LA Clippers, opened with over 1,400 toilets to cut down on lines.
- Ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer spent $2 billion on the arena, which opened in August.
- The arena also features audio sensors to gauge fan enthusiasm and a massive “halo” screen.
The Intuit Dome — the new home of the LA Clippers — opened two months ago, and team owner Steve Ballmer is particularly proud of the bathrooms.
The $2 billion stadium boasts over 1,400 toilets and urinals, Ballmer said during a “60 Minutes” interview. Ballmer, who spent most of his career at Microsoft and over 13 years as its CEO, is passionate about cutting down on lines in the Intuit Dome.
“I really hate it when people wait in line,” Ballmer said.
According to the multi-billionaire, waiting in line for the bathroom “stops people from getting back into the game” and can lead to frustrated fans.
Ballmer spent $2 billion of his own $126 billion fortune to build a new arena for the NBA team he purchased upon his retirement as Microosft CEO. After breaking ground on the arena in 2021, Ballmer said at the time he was “real obsessive about toilets.”
The former tech executive has also added plenty of high-tech flair to the arena, which is complete with sensors that can determine how loud fans are down to the seat level. Ballmer said that the devices aren’t “listening to your conversations,” but they help pick enthusiastic fans to give freebies.
The Intuit Dome also features a massive, double-sided “Halo” screen at its center, which is made up of over 70 LED displays.
Ballmer spent over 30 years at Microsoft before stepping down from the CEO position in 2014. During his time at the tech giant, he became known for his energized antics, like screaming to pump up the crowd at conferences and running around on stage.
The same year he left the company, Ballmer paid $2 billion to purchase the Clippers. As the owner, his meme-worthy moments have only continued.
Unlike his ultra-wealthy peers, Ballmer doesn’t own a superyacht or a sprawling compound on acres of land. As a lifelong lover of basketball, owning an NBA team was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
Now that the Intuit Dome is complete, Ballmer said he’s hoping fans in the building will help his Clippers win games — and, perhaps, its first championship.
“Everything in my instinct says it will help our basketball team if our crowd team can really get into it,” Ballmer said.
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