Gillian Zucker
CEO | Halo Sports and Entertainment
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
In March, Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer announced the formation of Halo Sports & Entertainment, a consolidation of the Clippers, G League Ontario Clippers, Kia Forum and, of course, the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, which opened in August.
The move made sense, and was intended to “help foster collaboration and efficiency’’ between the properties, which share synergies.
And who better to lead the new organization as CEO than Gillian Zucker, who had served as president of business operations for the Clippers, an organization she’d been part of for more than 10 years already. On the eve of opening the $2 billion, 18,000-seat, boundary-pushing basketball arena, Zucker said the trend-setting Intuit Dome is about more than just bells and whistles.
“It’s not (one particular) feature, it is more of a mindset,” Zucker told VenuesNow for a recent covery story. “We want every person who walks into this arena to feel like Intuit Dome was built for them. We asked the people who will be using each of the spaces what they need. As a result, from the rigger putting up the sound racks, to the NBA referee, to the person sitting in the last row, to the player in the visiting NBA locker room, we hope each person noticed the care and attention to detail that went into every decision made. If we did our job right, when you walk out of Intuit Dome, you feel like we thought of you.”
Opening with a two-night stint from Bruno Mars ahead of the Clippers’ season opener in October, the Intuit Dome is the first arena ever awarded an NBA All Star Game (2026) before opening, and will host basketball during the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Sporting the Halo Board, a double-sided display that spans nearly a full acre at 38,375 square feet and 233 million LEDs, Intuit Dome demonstrates a commitment to technology and innovation, but Ballmer and Zucker made a priority out of core customer service and fan-first amenities, even in a space-age environment. For instance, Halo works closely with Levy’s 310 Provisions to ensure fans are served and back in their seats to see the action in two minutes, Zucker said.
Meanwhile, Intuit Dome’s 120 restrooms and 1,100 urinal or toilets are more than any other NBA arena, with a fan-to-fixture ratio that’s 50% better than average, Zucker said. Despite the monstrosity of the Halo board, sightlines are clear even with the Halo visible from every seat.
Adding an intimidating home-court advantage, “The Wall” takes a page out of college hoops, making for a steep section of 51 rows of uninterrupted seats on the east end zone, an ample environment for the rowdiest fans to make some noise. It all adds up to show that Halo is serious about the basketball experience. — Ryan Borba
