The land along West Century Boulevard in Inglewood where the Clippers plan to build an arena is easy to miss, a bleak stretch of fenced-off vacant lots near a fast-food restaurant selling fried chicken and motel offering simple rooms for $80 a night.
Billionaire Clippers owner Steve Ballmer wants to transform the four blocks into a privately funded home for his franchise, a state-of-the-art competition venue, team offices, practice facility, sports medicine clinic and more.
But almost a year and a half after the Clippers and Inglewood signed an exclusive negotiating agreement to explore the project, the land remains at the center of a legal brawl setting Madison Square Garden Co.