Steve Ballmer is trying his best to change the public perception of the Clippers.
For decades, the Clipps have been L.A.’s “B team,” relegated to watching the Lakers raise banners in their building year after year.
When Ballmer took over years ago, people knew right away that it was a great thing for the franchise and that has proven to be true today.
In light of the construction of a new, luxurious arena in Inglewood, Ballmer really set the tone for the future of his team:
“I’ve never been in a place where you had two teams in a town,” Ballmer said. “I grew up in Detroit. Everybody’s a Pistons fan. And I think for enough years the Clippers were bad enough, everybody could just ignore the Clippers.
We’re good now, and we’re going to be good year in and year out. We’re going to build our own building, more of our own identity, more of our own personality. And I think some of the fans on the other side, if you will, it’s like, ‘What? You dare to question our supremacy?’ No, we do.”
There is no doubt the Clippers have a lot going for them. Two superstar players on the roster, a brand new arena in the works, and a billionaire owner who isn’t afraid to spend his own money.
Still, in a segment on Undisputed, Shannon Sharpe had no hesitation in declaring Los Angeles a Lakers town for life.
“Steve Ballmer, you’re worth $100B, but you can’t buy your way to a Championship. It’s a 1, this will always be a Laker town. Your best player is injury-prone and he’s getting older. That’s why I’m unconcerned. And it’s not like guys are lining up.
Remember, KD said no. Kyrie said no. Jimmy Butler said no. So it’s not like these superstar guys are lining up to come play with Kawhi.
He [Ballmer] has more money than all the NBA owners combined. But, at the end of the day, this is always, always gonna be a Lakers town. The sooner he accepts that the better of he’ll be.”
https://twitter.com/undisputed/status/1441435209128349696
Sharpe is a notorious LeBron James supporter, so it’s no surprise his feelings on the Clippers haven’t changed.
For now, he’s right about the city belonging to the Purple and Gold.
But if the Clips keep making noise and making their presence known to the NBA, things could start to change pretty soon…
