HONOLULU, Hawaii – The Los Angeles Clippers have finally moved out of their rental property at Crypto.com Arena and into their new permanent home, the $2 billion Intuit Dome.
While the franchise, which has always been considered a nomadic enterprise, is undergoing change, the Clippers have made sure to keep one thing constant as they move to another city: training camp in Hawaii.
The Clippers announced Tuesday that they will face the Golden State Warriors in an exhibition game on Oct. 5 at SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center to conclude a week of preseason activities at the University of Hawaii-Manoa’s Lower Campus.
It will be the fifth time since 2017 and the second year in a row that the Clippers have come to Honolulu. The Warriors, who announced plans last week to camp at BYU-Hawaii on Oahu’s North Shore, have not been to Hawaii for preseason training since 2007.
Last October, the Clippers’ preseason game against the Utah Jazz was sold out.
On paper, the upcoming tournament is also packed with stars. Although Los Angeles lost Paul George to free agent, it extended the contract of forward Kawhi Leonard and retained the services of veteran guard James Harden. The Warriors lost Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks, but future Hall of Famers Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are still the mainstays of the 2022 NBA title team.
Both teams are expected to arrive on October 1 after holding NBA Media Day at their home bases in California.
According to a Clippers spokesman, the franchise is expected to send an envoy, including guard Norman Powell, to this weekend’s sporting events at UH: the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic, the season opener on Friday and Sunday, and the UH football team’s game against UCLA on Saturday.
Ticket sales for the Clippers game against the Warriors in Hawaii have just begun.
Brian McInnis reports on the state’s sports scene for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at brian.mcinnis@charter.com.
