Ballmer suggests Lakers fans may 'feel a little threatened' by Clippers

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer isn't intimidated by the Lakers' popularity in Los Angeles.

In an interview with ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, Ballmer explained that rival fans may feel "threatened" by the Clippers' improvement in recent years.

"We're good now, and we're going to be good year in and year out," Ballmer said. "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's 30 teams in the league. There's 29 others. And we got one that happens to be based in L.A. And we got our fans. We use our expression, 'L.A. Our Way.' And we're building our own presence, identity. And if the other guys feel a little threatened - the other guys' fans, I mean; the players are actually a little different deal - but if they feel a little threatened, that's OK. It means we're doing good."

The Clippers will soon be saying goodbye to Staples Center - the arena they share with the Lakers and NHL's Los Angeles Kings - and moving into their own building in Inglewood. The new arena, which will be known as the Intuit Dome, is slated to open in time for the 2024-25 season.