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Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and three-time NBA champion James Worthy talked about a recent deal by Steve Ballmer, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, to buy The Forum from the Madison Square Garden Co. for 400 million U.S. dollars.
Formerly known as the Great Western Forum, this arena used to be the home court of the Los Angeles Lakers from 1967 to 1999.
James Worthy, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer, three-time NBA champion. /AP
"I like Steve, you know," Worthy first praised Ballmer's efforts." He's a good guy. He's gonna build a stadium, try to move in on our fans over there. That's gonna be tough. But you know, I'm all about moving forward and doing what's good for the city. If it's going to help Inglewood, if it's going to bring more employment and all that kind of stuff, I'm all for that."
However, the Lakers legend then said: "The Lakers brand is what it is. It's not going anywhere regardless of what he does. So I'm okay with it."
Why would Worthy say that? Well, to answer this question, we need to look at why Ballmer bought The Forum first.
Steve Ballmer, owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, attends the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, March 8, 2020. /VCG
Ballmer did not buy that arena so it could be the Clippers' new court, to be clear. The team will have a new arena, Inglewood Basketball and Entertainment Center, and its construction will begin soon; Ballmer unveiled one billion U.S. dollars to do this.
However, considering that both arenas are in Inglewood and are less than two miles from each other, the new one will inevitably hurt the business of the old one, which is owned by the MSG.
In response to the legal challenges lodged by the MSG, Ballmer decided to "buy" his way out with 400 million U.S. dollars.
Jerry West (L), special consultant of the Los Angeles Clippers, talks to team owner Steve Ballmer (R) in game 3 of the NBA playoffs against the Golden State Warriors at the Staples Center, April 18, 2019. /VCG
Of course this is not a headstrong action by a rich guy, despite that Ballmer is the 16th richest person in the world with 51.9 billion U.S. dollars. This is just the latest part of efforts by the Clippers' owner to rebuild the team's own brand so they can be on an equal footing with the purple and gold.
In May, 2014, Ballmer paid two billion U.S. dollars to take over from Donald Sterling as the new owner of the Clippers. In 2017, he invited "The Logo" Jerry West as the team's special consultant. If the two-time Executive of The Year awards do not tell you how great West is, look up who brought Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant to the Lakers, who landed Pau Gasol for the Lakers and who helped the Golden State Warriors sign Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant.
In the summer of 2019, West introduced Kawi Leonard and Paul George for the Clippers, building one of the best star-pairs in today's NBA.
Kawhi Leonard #2 and Paul George #13 of the Los Angeles Clippers show their jerseys at the introduction press conference at Green Meadows Recreation Center in Los Angeles, California, July 24, 2019. /VCG
Meanwhile, the Clippers have been riding over the Lakers for over half of the time in this decade. From 2013 to 2017, they dropped five straight 50+ win seasons; the partnership of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan earned the team the nickname of "Lob City." By contrast, the purple and gold were only doing two things: Preparing for Bryant's farewell and tanking.
However, ask anyone and they will tell you that LA is Lakers' town. The color of the city has been and always will be purple and gold, not the red and blue of the Clippers, in spite of all the honors the team have achieved above and the 3.4 billion U.S. dollars Ballmer has spent.
Why?
Championship banners and retired jerseys of the Los Angeles Lakers are displayed inside the Staples Center. /AP
The history is always there. The Lakers have won 16 NBA Championships, the second-most in league history and only one fewer than the Boston Celtics. There are simply too many immortal names coming from this team: George Mikan, West himself, Elgin Baylor, Magic Johnson, Bryant… When you were talking about the history of the NBA, you can't miss the first dynasty established by the Lakers in the 50s, the epic competitions between the Celtics and the Lakers in the 60s, the legendary rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in the 80s, the dominance of Bryant and O'Neal between 2000 and 2002, the continued glorious contests between the Lakers and the Celtics from 2008 to 2010.
But what about the Clippers? What unforgettable memories does anyone have of the team which changed their name from the Buffalo Braves to the San Diego Clippers and then to the Los Angeles Clippers? Is it that they traded Moses Malone, a top-5-level center in NBA history for two first-round draft picks in 1976? Is it the racism scandal of their former owner Donald Sterling? Or is it the fact that the team have never, ever reached Conference Finals in their history?
Victories are not enough for the Clippers. They need championships, they need rings, as many as possible, because only the winners' history will be remembered and far more valuable than the losers' in competitive sports.