That dump known as the LA Sports Arena

is auctioning off its last fixtures before the place gets demolished.
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena | GA Global Partners

The items to be auctioned are as sad as the Clip Joint was itself.

 

I grew up in LA and was surprised to learn the building only dated back to 1959. I assumed it was built for the '32 Olympics.

Went there for the first time for WHA hockey in 1974, and it seemed like a 50-year-old building then.

Saw Springsteen there in 1980 and we would go to watch players such as Micheal Jordan and Dominique Wilkins, because Clipper tickets were cheaper and more available than Laker tickets.

Also attended WrestleMania 2 there.

 

I assumed it was built for the '32 Olympics.
Ha ha.

I took the CPA exam there.

A bunch of us were working downtown one year, say 1996 or 1997. at 7:10 pm we decided to head over to the Clipper game, bought tickets, walked down to about the 10th row, and were in our seats at tip off. It was cut rate NBA basketball, but fun.

 

The WHA Sharks were there in a concurrent season with USC basketball. Sitting on press row for Trojans games, after awhile you realized you couldn't feel your feet anymore.

 

Cut rate. I've heard it here, and on insurance commercials. I assume it means terrible, but why cut rate?

 

"cheap" - in every sense of the word.

 

Saw a pretty amazing U2 show there in '83.

Place was a shithole 30 years ago.

 

The basketball scenes from Forget Paris were also filmed there.

The LASA was always easy to spot. Terrible lighting in the early days of the Clippers after they moved from San Diego and a large slab of concrete between the concourses.

 

Trough urinals.

Was there to cover a USC basketball game in 1991 or so. About 2k in the house. Everybody split immediately after the game, another writer and I got locked inside after working about an hour to file. All the doors were chained shut. We had to find the janitorial crew, none of whom spoke English, to unlock the doors and let us out. Kind of a scary walk to the parking lot, usually they had security escort you but they were all gone by that time. I think USC's SID staff was gone within 20 minutes after the game.

 

Was there about eight times during my NBA days. Watched Christian Laettner's shot to beat Kentucky in the press room there. Only other real memory was that the Clippers' PR guy insisted on taking me and the other paper's beat writer over to chat with Donald Sterling.

 

The big fights from at least the first two or three Rocky movies were filmed there, right?