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LeBron James vs. Kawhi Leonard: Who is the king of Los Angeles?

By Ronald Agers

TORONTO, CANADA - MARCH 14: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball against LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers on March 14, 2019 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - MARCH 14: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors handles the ball against LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers on March 14, 2019 at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LeBron James
(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

What is a Hollywood drama without the people who finance it? 

If anyone has been paying attention to Steve Ballmer for the last five years, you may notice that he is very passionate about his team. Can you really blame him? If you dropped $2 billion dollars on an NBA team, you would be too.

But Steve Ballmer is on a mission here. He wants a Clippers legacy and based on what Jerry West said to Rich Eisen, he has the plan and resources to do so.

That legacy is planned to be in Inglewood California. Steve Ballmer is preparing an arena across from the football stadium where the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers play starting next year. It’s going to come out of Ballmer’s pocket with the goal of having “the best home in all of sports”.

"“What that means to me is an unparalleled environment for players, for fans, for sponsors and for the community of Inglewood,” Ballmer added in a statement. “Our goal is to build a facility that re-sets fans’ expectations while having a transformative impact on the city we will call home.”"

It seems that Mr. Ballmer is tired of the Clippers being on the low-end of the totem pole behind the Lakers and the Kings in the Staples Center when scheduling games. The groundbreaking will be done about a mile from where the Lakers used to play at The Forum.

The problem is that the Forum is owned by Madison Square Garden Company headed up by James Dolan who owns the Knicks (It’s true folks, look it up!). There is a lawsuit pending based on breach of contract and fraud as of this writing.

It seems that Jeanie Buss has some emails obtained by the LA Times saying some disparaging remarks about Ballmer and the planned move to Inglewood.

The Los Angeles Lakers are the gold standard of the NBA and have been for years. However, since the late Dr. Buss passed, the Lakers have struggled mightily for six years. Within that time frame, Steve Ballmer has almost eradicated the era of the ineptitude of Donald Sterling.

Is there jealousy here?

If the Clippers win the race to the title, there may be. The Lakers owned the city and ruled the NBA for years. Now the Clippers for the first time in their history have made a threat for that crown.

Steve Ballmer is an owner with the deepest pockets in American sports with no issues spending it on the best people to get the job done. He’s one of the few business owners that are serious about being the best and creating a culture where people will succeed.

The Lakers have had the moniker of “Mom and Pop” label attached to the franchise more than once this past season. Something that was contributed to the dysfunction last year.

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