To say Steve Ballmer is excited to own the Los Angeles Clippers would be quite the understatement.
The former Microsoft CEO spoke at a Clippers fan rally one week after he formally became the team’s new owner.
He was introduced by head coach Doc Rivers and came out screaming, yelling, and high-fiving fans.
“I can’t hear you!” he yelled. “Do we have any Clippers fans here?! I can’t hear you!”
Ballmer said he couldn’t be more “honored, excited, or fired up to be here.” He noted that “we’re not moving the Clippers to Seattle.”
“I’m going to love beating the old Seattle basketball team,” Ballmer said in reference to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Ballmer repeated that he’s going to do everything he can to support the team, the fans, and the L.A. community with an optimistic frame of mind.
“We’re going to be bold,” he said. “If you’re not being bold, you’re being timid. And the L.A. Clippers will be bold.”
Unsurprisingly, Ballmer brought out what seems to be his favorite word post-Microsoft: Hardcore.
“We’re going to be hardcore. HARD. CORE,” he yelled. “Nothing gets in our way. Boom! We’ll keep coming. Hardcore Clippers — that’s us.”
Here’s a quick video that shows Ballmer’s excitement:
You can watch Ballmer’s full speech at the 2:46:00 mark:
