Latest news with #IntuitDome
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ice Cube and Dwight Howard tout Big3's potential during festive Intuit Dome visit
The BIG3 basketball atmosphere is one of a West Coast summer-style block party — quite literally — bursting with frenetic hip-hop energy brought straight to the hardwood. At the center is legendary rapper and Hollywood A-lister Ice Cube, who, between games, stands before a BIG3-branded backdrop in the bowels of the Intuit Dome, greeting families and flashing Westside hand signs as cameras click. 'It takes a village; all these people have honed their skills to be the best,' Ice Cube, the league's co-owner and founder, said of the atmosphere. Rooted in the streetball tradition of three-on-three hoops played on neighborhood blacktops, the league rolled out its Summer in the City tour — a day-long showcase with eight teams vying for a $1 million championship. Not shy on production value, few sporting events offer such an intimate setting — players mingling casually around the concourse, almost like an AAU tournament. Or comedic stars Anthony Anderson and Cedric the Entertainer serving as guest sideline reporters, greeting every fan who stops by with a quick hello. But for the South-Central–born rapper, whose league has toured the country, Saturday's showcase in Inglewood marked the first time his hometown crowd could watch one of the BIG3's newest — and first privately owned — franchises, the LA Riot, play live. A franchise namesake born from L.A.'s history of tumultuous racial unrest — evoking memories of the 1992 Rodney King riots — also symbolizes a movement, rebellion and cultural takeover, just as Ice Cube envisioned. 'It was a dream come true, not too far from where I grew up,' Ice Cube said. 'So to have a league like this, right at the house, is just beautiful.' Read more: Straight Outta L.A.: Ice Cube's new BIG3 team is the Riot and 'here to shake things up' After seven years of unaffiliated teams, the BIG3 shifted to a city-based model to cultivate loyal fan bases and sell franchises to local owners. Using L.A. as the blueprint — with a $10 million price tag — the hope is to bring long-term stability to the league. 'We're going to these eight cities every year,' Ice Cube said. 'We can plan long term, hopefully grow the league to other cities, [who] want to get in on the act.' Since 2017, part of that stability has been built on the backs of veteran players — athletes well past their NBA primes and no longer chasing NBA contracts. Among them is newly elected Naismith Hall of Famer Dwight Howard, alongside names like Joe Johnson, Michael Beasley, and Lance Stephenson. Howard, a member of the 2020 Lakers championship team, made a highly anticipated return to the city where he played three seasons across three separate stints. With his signing, he has become the face of the Riot, committing to play his final season of professional basketball with the club. 'It's our first year, we're just getting started,' Howard said. 'We're looking forward to keeping it going. Obviously, the first year is always a little difficult — trying to get to know each other — but we're doing a great job.' Howard has dabbled in ownership ventures, investing $7 million to purchase the WNBA Atlanta Dream — a deal that later turned out to be a scam — and joining The Asian Tournament, an international league, as a co-owner and player for the Taiwan Mustangs. In his first Big3 season, Howard has witnessed how well the league connects with its fans, a connection he believes will be key to its long-term success. Christopher Thomas, 35, a lifelong Angeleno who brought his daughter and best friend to Saturday's Big3 games, was rocking a No. 12 Howard Riot jersey. Thomas left the arena converted after initially scoring free tickets through his job. Read more: Dwight Howard will play basketball in L.A. again, not for the Lakers, but the BIG3's Riot 'I have to admit, I never heard of the BIG3,' Thomas said. 'Now I'm leaving as a Riot fan, especially with my boy Dwight Howard on the team.' For Thomas, the draw went beyond basketball. It was the atmosphere, constant energy between games and novelty the league offered. The experience was 'something new, something different,' he said — the kind that will have him back in the stands when the BIG3 returns to town. Making headway in localized markets, Howard — who has played overseas several times throughout his career — says the league can also tap into those international markets with smart decisions and profitability. 'Oh, international,' Howard said. 'BIG3 international is what we're looking for.' On the globalization front, the league is planning exhibitions in Australia and Asia, which Ice Cube hopes will come to fruition soon. For now, though, the focus remains on expanding and privatizing within the U.S., beyond L.A., Houston, Detroit and Miami. The BIG3 also aims to grow beyond its current eight-team format by securing investors for four city-based teams, and then aims for further expansion down the line. 'We got some smart people who are buying teams, people who can help us grow the league,' Ice Cube said. 'Not just sign a check, but to help us be innovative. Help us with sponsors. We want owners who are active.' While expansion plans continue to be discussed behind closed doors, the league's public focus remains on its fast, physical and unpredictable style — all of which was on full display as the action at the Intuit Dome wound down. The Riot's matchup against the Boston Ball Hogs came down to the wire with a playoff berth on the line. Clawing back from a 48-45 deficit, the Riot unleashed desperate four-point shots and dove for loose balls galore. Eventually taking the lead, the Riot-friendly crowd spilled from its seats into the walkways surrounding the court, watching with bated breath as Jordan Crawford drained a walk-off three-pointer to seal a 52-48 victory. 'At the end of the day, I can only do so much to get people hyped up,' Ice Cube said of the appeal of the Big3. 'The basketball has to be pure.' Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Clippers' Chris Paul gets massive ‘welcome home' message at Intuit Dome
The post Clippers' Chris Paul gets massive 'welcome home' message at Intuit Dome appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Los Angeles Clippers are happy to have Chris Paul back on their squad going into the 2025-26 NBA season. Paul returned to the Clippers this offseason, having a reunion with the team he represented from 2011 to 2017. He gave their best stretch of years prior to the Kawhi Leonard era, getting them to three appearances in the West Semis. The Clippers made sure to express their gratitude to Paul for coming back. They did this by using the videoboards of the Intuit Dome that displayed a clear statement for the veteran guard. 'Welcome home Chris Paul,' the text on the videoboard showed. What lies ahead for Chris Paul, Clippers While he's no longer the superstar guard he once was, Chris Paul can prove to be a pivotal piece in the Clippers' aspirations for a title run. Paul averaged 18.8 points, 9.8 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game after 406 appearances. He shot 47.5% from the field, including 37.8% from beyond the arc, and 88.1% from the free-throw line. Paul earned five All-Star selections throughout the six seasons of his first stint with the Clippers. He was also consistently on the All-NBA teams with 2017 being the exception, showing how he continued to be a force for opponents to deal with throughout his remarkable career. The second stint will obviously be different, especially since Paul is 40 years old. He's entering the twilight years of his career, as retirement could be a legitimate choice for him after the 2025-26 season. Nonetheless, Los Angeles boasts a squad with loads of experience after making big additions this offseason. Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, John Collins, and Bradley Beal highlight the unit. Ivica Zubac, Nicolas Batum, Derrick Jones Jr., Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Brook Lopez also finish the squad as talents that can make key plays on both sides of the ball. Whether the Clippers can reach the mountaintop remains uncertain. However, they have the undeniable experience that can push them over the hump and make noise this upcoming season. Related: Chris Paul gets 100% role about Spurs' role in prolonged NBA career Related: Clippers' Chris Paul 'by any means necessary' message will have fans hyped
New York Times
29-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Chris Paul returns to familiar place with Clippers but in different role: ‘I'm still in it'
The LA Clippers presented point guard Chris Paul at Intuit Dome on Monday, one week after signing the 20-year NBA veteran to a minimum contract to rejoin the franchise he led from 2011 to 2017. Paul's family, based in LA since Paul was traded to the Clippers from New Orleans in December 2011, was in the front row. While the 40-year-old Paul could choose to end his career after this season, it is not something he is committing to now. Advertisement 'Please don't,' Paul joked when asked about possibly retiring. 'I'm just in it, to tell you the truth. I'm still in it. Day in and day out, enjoying it, right?… It's been really cool to be around my family and know that the countdown hasn't started for me to leave again. So I think that's what I'm most happy and thinking about right now.' Paul's family was the biggest reason for him returning to the Clippers after spending the previous eight seasons in Houston, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Golden State and San Antonio. But Paul also said it was a 'no-brainer' for him to come back to the Clippers, regardless of what his role was going to be. Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said Paul's role would be as a reserve point guard, and Paul is happy to accept it — even after starting all 82 games last season with the Spurs, becoming the first player in NBA history to do so in his 20th season. 'It's a lot of people who will try to tell your story for you,' Paul said. 'I was actually on vacation with my family, and you see all the stories (of) people saying, 'He'll only go here if he's starting' or if he is doing this. I think for me, the gratitude that I have for being able to play as long as I've had, I think the easiest decision in this is sitting right up here, right here with my family. It's getting a chance to be around them and be around a lot more. And get a chance to compete and play for a championship. 'My role on this team is obviously different than it's been the past 20 years being in the NBA. But showing up every day, if I can show some of the guys what it looks like every day to clock in and clock out, I'm excited for it,' Paul added. Paul thanked the Spurs for giving him the opportunity to play last season — particularly the Holt family, who own the team, CEO R.C. Buford, president and former head coach Gregg Popovich, head coach Mitch Johnson and Paul's teammates. 'Without this past year in San Antonio — if that doesn't happen, I don't have this opportunity to actually come back here and play this year,' Paul said Monday. 'So thank you so much to the Spurs and their organization.' Advertisement Paul mentioned that throughout the years, he 'wanted to get back and play here by any means necessary.' After the news conference, Paul was escorted to a homecoming event at the arena, where he was greeted by Clippers fans and season ticket holders. As he was introduced by broadcaster Brian Sieman, Paul was overcome with emotion. Chris Paul breaking down after @BSieman introduces him to the fans at Intuit Dome, something CP3 was not expecting — Law Murray 🎡 (@LawMurrayTheNU) July 28, 2025 'If you watch me, I play with a different type of chip on my shoulder and a passion,' Paul told the fans. 'But there's an emptiness that I was missing. And so I'm excited to really be back here and get a chance to play for the Clippers.' Paul's return to the Clippers is a full-circle moment for a franchise that never won 60 percent of its games in a season before his arrival — and now has the league's longest active streak of consecutive winning seasons, a run that began with his first in 2011-12. While Paul doesn't take credit for the Clippers becoming more of a destination franchise, he acknowledges that it is meaningful being on a team with Kawhi Leonard and former Rockets teammate James Harden, among other accomplished players. 'It's been a lot of guys here who've done a great job in shifting the culture and making it what it is now, and all the people here that played a role in this,' Paul said. 'I mean, you got to think about it: the colors are different. The logo is different. But a lot of the fans have remained the same. So I think that's what I'm most excited about, is getting here, getting a chance to play alongside Kawhi. Kawhi has been here with that culture change and all that. Bringing in James and all these different guys, so I'm excited.' Paul mentioned that this is the time for players to enjoy the offseason, and so his communication with his new teammates has been brief. He worked out with new Clippers guard Bradley Beal in Augusta, Ga., during EYBL Nike Peach Jam, which was won by Beal's team. Paul addressed his reunion with Harden after the two parted ways in 2019, when Paul was traded from the Rockets to the Thunder. Paul acknowledged clips that showed tension between the two when they were teammates during the 2018-19 season. Advertisement 'We talked about it and, you know, talked about just, you know, the history of obviously being there in Houston,' Paul said. 'And it's funny, man, because that clip or whatnot that goes around, it was a lot of stuff funnier and stuff like that than that. That was just sort of our relationship. You know, but I think that's what made that team so good. You know we got on each other in different situations. 'But that team, I can honestly say, it was one of the funnest teams I've ever been on in my career, and James is one of those guys that loves to be in the gym all day long. And so it's wild that you get this opportunity again after those two years and the success that we had, and we definitely know we had unfinished business. So we get a chance to see what's going on here.' As Paul enters next season, he realizes that much has changed, including his perspective and place in Clippers franchise history. He'll wear his number again, but much else has changed. And he appreciates what it means to play at Intuit Dome not as an opponent, but now as a representative of the organization. 'This isn't where we played, right?' Paul said. 'I've watched the building of this building. I watched, I think, the first preseason game that was played here. I've paid attention to all of this. You don't have any choice, right? All of us that really have memories and ties to this team, for most guys, I don't care where you go, if you've been with a team and you're that invested, you may go other places. But this will always be special to me.'
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Video: Watch how Intuit Dome is transformed into Intuit Beach
Crews raise the AVP logo inside the Intuit Dome for the fifth event of the 2025 AVP League season on Thursday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) AVP, the biggest and longest-running professional volleyball league, hosted beach volleyball matches for the first time in an NBA arena this past weekend. Hosted at the Intuit Dome, crews were tasked with bringing 300 tons of sand from a quarry in Palm Springs, which is roughly 16 truck loads. AVP is looking for creative ways to attract a new audiences to the sport, often hosting their marquee volleyball events in unconventional locations. Advertisement A wooden sandbox was constructed to contain the prewashed sand and form a single court. It took the crew, which consists of about 150 people for a change over a typical event at Intuit Dome, five hours after the conclusion of the event to ready the arena for Clippers season ticket-holders the following day. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
300 tons of sand trucked into Intuit Dome to create unique AVP beach volleyball venue
Trucks unload some of the 300 tons of sand that will be used to host an AVP tournament at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood this weekend. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) AVP, the biggest and longest-running professional volleyball league, will play matches in an NBA arena for the first time this weekend in Inglewood. A crew picked up 16 dump truck loads from a quarry in Palm Springs, delivering 300 tons of sand into the Intuit Dome for AVP League matches on Friday and Saturday. Advertisement The crew constructed a wooden sandbox barrier to protect the arena floor. The sand, pre-washed and compacted upon arrival, was dumped into an 18-inch wooden frame, with elements such as hospitality added to help remove debris from the air. A worker prepares sand at the Intuit Dome ahead of an AVP tournament. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) 'If all goes well, it's about a six- to eight-hour build from start to finish with the court,' said Logan Dan, head of operations for AVP Professional Beach Volleyball Tours. 'It takes about six hours to build the court specifically.' Once the event concludes, the crew dismantles the frame and removes the sand using equipment that looks like a modified small tractor. Advertisement 'We break the box open and use a skid steer with a box broom attachment — it sweeps up a lot of the sand,' Dan said. Although indoor beach volleyball is unusual, the AVP's new league model — introduced last year — has made it possible to bring tournaments to unconventional venues. The league is investing in creative ways to grow accessibility and exposure. One of many trucks makes its way through the Intuit Dome to deliver sand in preparation of an AVP league event. Workers slowly cover the floor of the Intuit Dome with sand. Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times 'What that has allowed us to do is to bring volleyball into different areas that it might not be," Dan said. "For instance, we're going to New York next week, and we'll be putting a court in Central Park, right in Wollman Rink, where they normally have ice skating in the winter and pickleball in the summer.' Advertisement Conditions for beach volleyball differ significantly between outdoor and indoor play. Sun, wind and heat heavily influence outdodor players' performance and court dynamics. Indoors, the environment remains cooler and still, free from elements such as whipping winds or scorching sun. 'It's so close and loud and intimate that it creates that very cool environment,' Logan said. AVP declined to disclose what it costs to build courts in unconventional locations such as the Intuit Dome. Logan said AVP staff hope fans will enjoy a fun, family-oriented community environment that features more seats close to the action than a typical beach volleyball court. Workers cover the floor of the Intuit Dome with sand ahead of an AVP league event. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) The schedule AVP League matches start Friday at 5 p.m. with the L.A. Launch playing the San Diego Smash in the first match. Advertisement Doors open Saturday at 4 p.m., with the Palm Beach Passion playing the L.A. Launch during the first match. Tickets started at $43.50 apiece. What's at stake The AVP League format differs from traditional tournaments. A men's duo and women's duo represent a city and their combined records determine position in league standings. At the end of league play, one of eight cities will be crowned the AVP League champion. The playoffs feature a postseason tournament seeded based on each duo's record during the season. The tournament splits into male and female competition groups, with the winning duo in each group earning the top prize. Advertisement The top two teams in the league standings are the L.A. Launch and the Palm Beach Passion. L.A. Launch is undefeated, while Palm Beach Passion is 6–2. Who is playing in Inglewood? Four of the league's eight city teams will be represented. The lineup includes numerous Olympians, USC alums and a former NBA player. No. 1 L.A. Launch Men: Hagen Smith and Logan Webber | Women: Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft No. 2 Palm Beach Men: Trevor Crabb and Phil Dalhausser | Women: Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson No. 6 San Diego Smash Men: Chase Budinger and Miles Evans | Women: Abby Van Winkle and Geena Urango Advertisement No. 8 Miami Mayhem Men: Chaim Schalk and James Shaw | Women: Kelly Cheng and Molly Shaw Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
