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INGLEWOOD (CNS) - The ``Fabulous Forum'' is getting a new name.
Passersby in Inglewood today saw a new sign being raised outside the venue, proclaiming it the ``Kia Forum,'' thanks to a naming-rights deal between the automaker and venue owner Steve Ballmer.
No details of the deal -- first reported by the digital news site Sportico -- have been released by the Forum about terms of the agreement. A news conference is scheduled at the Forum on Monday morning.
Ballmer purchased the Forum two years ago, ostensibly to resolve a legal battle launched by previous owner Madison Square Garden Co. over Ballmer's plans to build a new arena for the Los Angeles Clippers just blocks away. MSG officials claimed the project violated its agreements with the city of Inglewood by placing a competing venue in the area.
The Forum, once home to the Lakers and Kings, is now primarily a music venue.