NBA All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome: A Tale of Two Very Different Vibes
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The NBA brought its biggest midseason spectacle to the brand-new Intuit Dome this weekend - a $2 billion basketball cathedral that’s now home to the Clippers - and what unfolded was a weekend of contrasts. From the empty seats and corporate energy of Friday and Saturday to the electric, MVP-chanting crescendo of Sunday night, this All-Star Weekend was a reminder of what works, what doesn’t, and what still needs fixing.
Friday and Saturday: Big Stage, Little Energy
Let’s not sugarcoat it - the first two nights of All-Star Weekend fell flat. The Rising Stars game on Friday night looked more like a closed scrimmage than a marquee NBA event.
Reports pegged attendance at around a third of the arena’s capacity, and the empty seats weren’t just in the upper bowl - courtside sections behind the benches were noticeably vacant. The broadcast team had to get creative with camera angles just to avoid showing how sparse the crowd really was.
And that’s a shame, because the basketball itself wasn’t bad. Clippers rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser made a splash in front of the home crowd, dropping 11 points and throwing down a couple of highlight-reel alley-oops in the semifinal.
It was the kind of performance that should’ve had the building buzzing. Instead, it echoed.
Saturday didn’t do much to turn things around. The 3-Point Contest, Shooting Stars, and Slam Dunk Contest were all played out in front of a crowd that felt more like a tech conference than a basketball celebration.
Part of the issue? A 2 p.m.
PT start time on Valentine’s Day - not exactly prime time for fans - and a ticket pricing structure that made it tough for everyday fans to get in the building. Entry-level seats started around $400, with premium spots near The Wall going for $1,000 and up.
That’s a tough ask for fans who bring the energy, not the expense accounts.
Sunday Night: The Game That Saved the Weekend
Then came Sunday. And everything changed.
The new USA vs. World format - a three-team round-robin tournament - brought actual competition back to the All-Star Game.
Each of the first three games was decided by a single possession. There was an overtime thriller.
A De’Aaron Fox buzzer-beater. And then, there was that Kawhi Leonard performance.
Playing in his home building, Leonard looked like a man possessed. The Clippers star - a commissioner's pick for the game - dropped 31 points in a single 12-minute game, going 11-of-13 from the field and 6-of-7 from deep.
He was locked in. And the crowd, finally, was too.
“M-V-P” chants rained down from every section of the Dome as Leonard pointed to The Swell - the heart of The Wall - after burying a step-back three.
Leonard’s been putting up strong numbers this season - 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists - but this was different. This was Kawhi in his element, on his home floor, with the city behind him. Even Victor Wembanyama, who’s been a defensive nightmare for most of the league, couldn’t slow him down.
The Wall: Loud, Loyal, and Unshakable
While the rest of the arena struggled to find its footing on Friday and Saturday, The Wall - and its beating heart, The Swell - never missed a beat.
That standing-only, always-cheering section was packed every night. Fans lined up as early as 5:30 a.m. just to claim their spot.
They booed Luka Dončić every time he touched the ball on Sunday and erupted when Leonard checked in. When Niederhauser threw down another alley-oop during Rising Stars, it sounded like a playoff game.
For a Clippers fanbase that’s seen its share of ups and downs this season - a 26-28 record after a rough start - this weekend was a reminder of who they are. Passionate.
Resilient. Still showing up.
And it wasn’t just about noise. The Wall gave the weekend its soul.
While the rest of the arena felt like it was waiting for something to happen, The Wall made it happen. Every chant, every cheer, every Kawhi highlight - it all started there.
A Showcase of Potential - and a Work in Progress
From a facilities standpoint, the Intuit Dome passed every test. The lighting was sharp.
The technology was cutting edge. There was space to move, space to work, and space to showcase the NBA’s biggest stars.
NBC and the league had everything they needed. But the building was never the issue.
The real test was whether the league could make this feel like a celebration of basketball - for the fans, by the fans. Sunday proved it’s possible.
The format worked. The players bought in.
The crowd responded.
But Friday and Saturday proved there’s still work to be done. Pricing everyday fans out of the building?
Scheduling marquee events at off-peak hours? That’s how you drain the energy from what should be a highlight of the NBA calendar.
When the lights are bright and the stakes feel real, the game still delivers. Kawhi reminded us of that. So did The Wall.
Now it’s on the league to make sure that energy isn’t limited to just one night.