It is the only arena in the NBA shared by two teams, as well as one of only three North American professional sports venues (alongside SoFi Stadium in nearby Inglewood, and New Jersey's MetLife Stadium) to currently host two teams from the same league. The venue is also frequently used for major concerts, and has been the most frequent host of the Grammy Awards ceremony since its opening.
Crypto.com Arena will host the basketball competition during the 2028 Summer Olympics. In 2024, the Clippers are scheduled to leave Crypto.com Arena for their own arena, Intuit Dome.
Description
Crypto.com Arena has 950,000 square feet (88,257.9 m2) of total space, with a 94-foot (28.7 m) by 200-foot (61.0 m) arena floor. It stands 150 feet (45.7 m) tall.[7] The arena seats up to 19,067 for basketball, 18,145 for ice hockey, and around 20,000 for concerts or other sporting events.[2][8] Two-thirds of the arena's seating, including 2,500 club seats, are in the lower bowl. There are also 160 luxury suites, including 15 event suites, on three levels between the lower and upper bowls.[7] The arena's attendance record is held by the fight between World WBAWelterweight Champion Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley with a crowd of 20,820, set on January 25, 2009.[9]
Star Plaza
Outside the arena at the Star Plaza are statues of famous Los Angeles athletes and broadcasters. Additionally, the Los Angeles Kings Monument was erected in Star Plaza in 2016.[10]
The arena has been referred to as "the deal that almost wasn't."
Majestic Realty and Philip Anschutz.[20] Roski and Anschutz had acquired the Los Angeles Kings in 1995 and in 1996 began looking for a new home for their team, which then played at the Forum in Inglewood.[21][22]
Majestic Realty Co. and AEG were scouring the Los Angeles area for available land to develop an arena when they were approached by Steve Soboroff, then president of the LA Recreation and Parks Commission. Soboroff requested that they consider building the arena in downtown Los Angeles adjacent to the convention center. This proposal intrigued Roski and Anschutz, and soon a plan to develop the arena was devised.[20]
Months of negotiations ensued between Anschutz and city officials, with Roski and John Semcken of Majestic Realty Co. spearheading the negotiations for the real estate developers. The negotiations grew contentious at times and the real estate developers threatened to pull out altogether on more than one occasion.[20] The main opposition came from Councilman Joel Wachs, who opposed utilizing public funds to subsidize the proposed project,[19][23] and councilwoman Rita Walters, who objected to parts of it.[24]
Ultimately, the developers and city leaders reached an agreement, and in 1997, construction broke ground on the new building, which opened two years later. It was financed privately at a cost of US$375 million and was named for the office-supply company
Staples, Inc., which was one of the center's corporate sponsors that paid for naming rights.[7] Staples' 20-year naming rights deal was renewed in 2009.[25] The arena opened on October 17, 1999, with a Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band concert as its inaugural event.[26]
On October 21, 2009, the arena celebrated its tenth anniversary.[27] To commemorate the occasion, the venue's official web site nominated 25 of the arena's greatest moments from its first ten years with fans voting on the top ten.[28][29]
During the 2010 NBA and NHL offseason, the arena was renovated with refurbished locker rooms for the Lakers, Kings, and Clippers, and the installation of a new
On January 15, 2018, in the aftermath of an NBA basketball game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers, point guard Chris Paul utilized a secret tunnel (connecting the away team's locker room to the backdoor of the Clippers locker room) to confront former Clipper teammates Austin Rivers and Blake Griffin. Paul was joined by teammates Trevor Ariza, James Harden, and Gerald Green to confront the opponents, which only resulted in verbal altercations.[31]
In September 2021, the Clippers broke ground on a new arena in Inglewood, California known as Intuit Dome, which is expected to become its new home arena in 2024.[35][36]
On November 16, 2021, it was announced that the naming rights to the Staples Center had been acquired by Singapore-based
Christmas Day game). The deal was reported to be valued at $700 million over 20 years, in comparison to the $116 million paid by Staples under its previous 20-year agreement—making it the most valuable naming rights contract in all of sports.[37][25] The name change was met with opposition and many fans still refer to this arena as the Staples Center.[38]
In 2022, the arena began to undergo a multi-phase renovation, expected to be completed in 2024; the first phase over the 2022 NBA and NHL offseason included new video boards and ribbon displays, and updated concessions. There are plans for the City View Terrace to be converted into an indoor outdoor deck, a new area known as the Tunnel Club, Chick Hearn Court to be converted into a pedestrian plaza between the arena and the rest of L.A. Live, and updated player facilities such as locker rooms.[39]
Events
Music
Main article:
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band were the first act to perform at the venue on its opening in 1999. Dave Matthews Band famously played the venue twice in 2008, despite the first show being the day of founding member and saxophonist LeRoi Moore's death.[40]
After the American singer Michael Jackson died in 2009, a televised memorial service was held at the arena. Its operator, AEG, had promoted the This Is It concert residency that Jackson had been scheduled to perform at The O2 Arena in London.[41] Jackson had been rehearsing at the arena in the weeks prior to his death; he last had rehearsed there approximately 12 hours before his death (on the same day).
Taylor Swift has performed 16 sellouts at Crypto.com Arena—the most of any performer at the venue.[44] On August 21, 2015, prior to one of her performances on the 1989 Tour, Kobe Bryant presented Swift with a banner commemorating this achievement, which was hung in the arena's rafters. The Taylor Swift banner, however, became the subject of a curse among Lakers and Kings fans, who suspected that the banner was contributing to their teams' respective playoff droughts. Eventually, the Kings began to hide the Taylor Swift banner during home games, and the banner was taken down entirely in December 2020.[45][44]
Grammy Awards ceremony has been held at Crypto.com Arena since 2000, with the exception of 2003, 2018, 2021 and 2022. As of 2023, the venue has hosted the Grammy Awards 20 times
, hosting more than any other venue in the history of the Grammy Awards.
Sports
The venue opened in 1999 as the home of the
Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League joined in 2006. It became home to the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League in 2000 until the team's discontinuation in 2009.[49]
second-highest number of points scored in a single game in NBA history,[51] second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point performance. Of the team's six NBA championships since moving to the venue, the Lakers have celebrated their 2000 and 2010 victories at Crypto.com Arena with series-winning victories at home.[citation needed
]
Prior to the
The Forum. The initial fan reaction was positive and has been a fixture on home games since.[52] The Daktronics see-through shot clock was first installed prior to the 2008–09 NBA season.[citation needed] The Clippers adopted the new see-through shot clock prior to the 2010–11 NBA season.[citation needed] For Sparks games, the court used is named after Sparks player Lisa Leslie, and was officially named prior to the 2009 home opener against the Shock on June 23, 2006.[53]
The Los Angeles Kings hosted the 2010 NHL Entry Draft at the arena in June 2010. In 2012, the Clippers, Kings, and Lakers all advanced to their leagues' respective playoffs,[54] with the Kings ultimately playing their first Stanley Cup Finals at the arena; on June 11, the Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.[55]
The Lakers unveiled a new hardwood court before their preseason game on October 13, 2012. Taking a cue from soccer clubs, the primary center court logo was adorned with 16 stars, representing the first 16 championships the Lakers franchise had won.[56] A 17th star was added to the court and unveiled before their regular season opener on December 22, 2020, to represent the franchise winning its 17th championship in the 2020 NBA Finals.[57]
Crypto.com Arena has hosted the following championship events:
2000: On June 19, 2000, the Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 116–111 in game 6, which took place at home, to win their twelfth championship title. This was also notable for being their first championship since 1988.
2001: The Lakers hosted games 1 and 2 versus the Philadelphia 76ers. They eventually won the series in five games.
2002: The Lakers hosted games 1 and 2 versus the New Jersey Nets. They eventually swept the series in four games.
2004: The Lakers hosted games 1 and 2 versus the Detroit Pistons. They eventually lost the series in five games.
2008: The Lakers hosted games 3, 4 and 5 versus the Boston Celtics. They eventually lost the series in six games.
2009: The Lakers hosted games 1 and 2 versus the Orlando Magic. They eventually won the series in five games.
2010: On June 17, 2010, the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 83–79 in game 7, which took place at home, to win their sixteenth championship title.
2012: On June 11, 2012, the Kings captured their first Stanley Cup in franchise history after defeating the New Jersey Devils 6–1 in game 6.[58]
2014: On June 13, 2014, the Kings captured their second Stanley Cup in franchise history after defeating the New York Rangers 3–2 in double overtime of game 5.
On April 14, 2024, the Clippers played their final regular season home game at the arena against the Houston Rockets, losing 116–105.
2028 Summer Olympics
Crypto.com Arena is expected to host basketball during the 2028 Summer Olympics.[61] Per IOC rules, the venue must be referred to under a generic name for the duration of the Games.[62]
Along with hosting many episodes of Raw and SmackDown, such as the latter's 20th anniversary season premiere on October 4, 2019, Crypto.com Arena has also hosted the following WWE pay-per-views:
Staples Center was named Best Major Concert Venue for 1998 and Arena of the Year for 1999, 2000 and 2001 by Pollstar Magazine and has been nominated each year since 2000.
^ abMandell, Jason. "The Staples Center Score". Los Angeles Downtown News - The Voice of Downtown Los Angeles. Archived from the original on July 26, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
^Howard, Andrew (October 21, 2009). "Happy Birthday STAPLES Center". Los Angeles Kings. Archived from the original on February 27, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2009.