The Lakers owner reignited a contentious relationship that recently saw a hopeful ending. We are talking about the Los Angeles Clippers here. Following the opening of the Clips’ new home arena, Intuit Dome, everyone expected the rivalry between the two LA sides to get over. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case. In her latest public interaction, Jeanie Buss threw a spade at the Clippers fold, along with an indirect dig at Adam Silver. Notably, it’s nothing close to the one she threw at him a few years ago.

Everything began when the Staples Center (Crypto.com arena) came into the picture in 1999. Following that, the two teams which had separate home arenas, agreed upon sharing it. Nevertheless, it wasn’t a great idea as it created a famous rivalry, the Battle of L.A. Eventually, it came to an end after 25 years with the launch of Intuit Dome. At least, that’s what we thought.

During her feature on the Petros & Money Summer radio show outside the Vans Headquarters, the hosts asked Buss about the Clippers’ exit from the arena. Unsurprisingly, the Lakers owner came up with a trivial response. She added, “We moved in that building first, then the Clippers moved in. And now they moved out… Nothing’s really changed for us at all. I just didn’t realize like how long it does take for the rest of the league to realize we have more home games because we played. We didn’t have to travel.” 

We called her response ‘unsurprisingly trivial’ for a reason. The email exchanges between Jeanie Buss and  Madison Square Garden (MSG) Co.’s official Irving Azoff published by the NY Times, stand tall as proof. In 2019, the NY Times published emails related to the lawsuit between MSG and Inglewood, Calif. over the construction of the Clippers’ new arena, and that’s where Buss has reportedly taken a dig at Adam Silver, the NBA Commissioner.

What’s the whole jazz about the Clippers’ new arena?

In 2017, when the Clippers initially proposed a plan to build their new arena, it put Irving Azoff in an alarming situation. The MSG Co. owned The Forum, which is roughly a mile and a half away from the plot on which the Clippers decided to build their new home, hence the alarm. Notably, before the Staples Center, the Lakers played their home games at The Forum between 1967 and 1999. And they even won six championships in the arena.

Nevertheless, the Clippers’ proposal left Irving Azoff with no option other than luring Jeanie Buss’ Lakers back to The Forum. Azoff penned an email, writing, “We were blindsided and not involved in the process… It’s a long way to fruition but we should talk about how it impacts the Lakers, forum, etc.!” To which, Jeanie Buss replied, “They are all crazy, This is a joke. Why would Adam let this happen?” 

Moreover, Buss promised to handle the issue and provide an amicable solution. However, nothing seems to have gone her way. Importantly, Steve Baller, the Clippers’ owner, had the last laugh. The former Microsoft CEO purchased The Forum from MSG for $400 million in 2020, putting an end to the controversy. On the other end, the Lakers extended their lease with the Staples Center, which will run through 2041.

Even though the entire problem has been dusted off, Jeanie Buss still hasn’t moved on from it, as she went after Adam Silver for not ‘realizing’ the Lakers’ equation at the Crypto.com arena.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.