| The House that Kobe Built | ||
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| Former names: | Staples Center (1999–2021) | |
| Location: | 1111 South Figueroa Street Los Angeles, California  United States [1]
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| Owner: | Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) | |
| Capacity: | Basketball: 19,060-18,997 Ice hockey: 18,230 Arena football: 16,096 Concerts: 19,000 Boxing: 21,000 Concert theatre: 8,000 | |
| Construction information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Broke ground: | March 31, 1998 | |
| Opened: | October 17, 1999 | |
| Construction cost: |
$375 million | |
| Tenants | ||
| Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) (1999–present) Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) (1999–present) Los Angeles Kings (NHL) (1999–present) Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA) (2001–present) Los Angeles Avengers (AFL) (2000–2008) Los Angeles D-Fenders (NBA G League) (2006–2010) | ||
| Floor design | ||
Los Angeles Lakers  Los Angeles Clippers 
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Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. The main attraction of the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Centercomplex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it was previously known as Staples Center until December 2021 when Crypto.com acquired the naming rights. The arena is the flagship attraction of locally-based Anschutz Entertainment Group.
It is owned and operated by the Arturo L.A. Arena Company and Anschutz Entertainment Group. The arena is home venue to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League (AFL) and the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League were also tenants; the Avengers were folded in 2009, and the D-Fenders moved to the Lakers' practice facility at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo, California for the 2011–12 season. Crypto.com Arena is also host to over 250 events and nearly 4 million guests each year. It is the only arena in the NBA shared by two teams, as well as one of only two North American professional sports venues to host two teams from the same league; MetLife Stadium, the home of the National Football League's New York Giants and New York Jets, is the other. Crypto.com Arena is the venue of the Grammy Awards ceremony and 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.
Following the January 26, 2020 death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and 7 others in a helicopter crash, the city of Los Angeles designated August 24 as Kobe Bryant Day, on which they announced that between the boulevards of Olympic and Martin Luther King Jr., Figueroa Street will be renamed Kobe Bryant Boulevard to honor his memory; this area includes the address of Crypto.com Arena.
Description[]
The Crypto.com Arena (then Staples Center) in June 2002.
Structure and architecture[]
Crypto.com Arena measures 950,000 square feet (88,258 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.[1] The arena seats up to 19,067 for basketball, 18,118 for ice hockey and arena football, and around 20,000 for concerts or other sporting events.[2] 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.[1] The arena's attendance record is held by the fight between World WBA Welterweight Champion, Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley with a crowd of 20,820 set on January 25, 2009.[3]
Star Plaza[]
Outside the arena at the Star Plaza are statues of famous Los Angeles athletes and broadcasters.
| Name | Sport | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Gretzky | Ice hockey | October 9, 2002 | Played for the Los Angeles Kings at The Forum from 1988–1996 |
| Magic Johnson | Basketball | February 11, 2004 | Played for the Los Angeles Lakers at The Forum from 1979–1991 and in 1996 |
| Oscar De La Hoya | Boxing | December 1, 2008 | East Los Angeles, California native |
| Chick Hearn | Basketball | April 20, 2010 | Long-time Los Angeles Lakers broadcaster (1961–2002) |
| Jerry West | Basketball | February 27, 2011 | Played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1960–1974 and coached the Lakers from 1976–1979 |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Basketball | November 16, 2012 | Played for the Los Angeles Lakers at The Forum in 1975–1989 |
| Luc Robitaille | Ice hockey | March 7, 2015 | Played for the Los Angeles Kings from 1986–1994, 1997–2001, and 2003–2006 |
| Shaquille O'Neal | Basketball | March 24, 2017 | Played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996–2004 |
| Bob Miller | Ice hockey | January 13, 2018 | Long-time Los Angeles Kings broadcaster (1973–2017) |
| Elgin Baylor | Basketball | April 6, 2018 | Played for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers from 1958–1971 |
| Dustin Brown | Ice hockey | February 11, 2023 | Played for the Los Angeles Kings from 2003–2022 |
| Kobe Bryant | Basketball | February 8, 2024 | Played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1996–2016 |
Secret Tunnel[]
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. He was joined by teammates such as Trevor Ariza, James Harden, and Gerald Green to confront the opponents, which only resulted in verbal altercations. The tunnel had previously been used by Laker Rick Fox in to confront Sacramento Kings player Doug Christie.
History[]
Crypto.com Arena (then Staples Center) during a Lakers game prior to the installation of the new scoreboard, and after the implementation of a new lighting system.
Crypto.com Arena has been referred to as "the deal that almost wasn't."
Long before construction broke ground, plans for the arena were negotiated between elected city officials and real estate developers Edward P. Roski of Majestic Realty and Philip Anschutz. 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.
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, the current Crypto.com Arena, was devised.
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. The main opposition came from Councilman Joel Wachs, who opposed utilizing public funds to subsidize the proposed project, and councilwoman Rita Walters, who objected to parts of it.
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 is named for the office-supply company Staples, Inc., which was one of the center's corporate sponsors that paid for naming rights.
The arena opened on October 17, 1999, with a Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band concert as its inaugural event. Since its opening day, it has hosted seven NBA Finals series with the Lakers, three WNBA Finals, the 2000 Democratic National Convention, the 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the 52nd NHL All-Star game, two NBA All-Star Games (in 2004 and 2011), the Pacific-10 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, since 2002–2012, the WTA Tour Championships, from 2002–2005, UFC 60 in 2006, UFC 104 in 2009, the inaugural Latin Grammy Awards in 2000, the annual Grammy Awards, since 2000, with the exception of 2003, the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, the Summer X Games indoor competitions, since 2003, as well as numerous concerts and HBO Championship Boxing matches.[4] The Los Angeles Kings, of the NHL hosted the 2010 NHL Entry Draft at the arena in June 2010. The Stanley Cup Finals were held at the arena for the first time in 2012. The Kings hosted the New Jersey Devils in games 3, 4, and ultimately defeated the Devils in game 6 by a final score of 6-1. The Kings became the first team to win the Stanley Cup on home ice since 2007.
Night view of Staples Center and L.A. Live
Staples Center before a Clippers game, featuring the new hanging scoreboard.
On January 22, 2006, Lakers player Kobe Bryant scored a career-high 81 points in the Crypto.com Arena against the Toronto Raptors, the second-highest number of points scored in a single game in NBA history,[5] second only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point performance. Of the team's five 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.
Prior to the 2006-07 NBA season, the lighting inside Crypto.com Arena was modified for Lakers games. The lights were focused only on the court itself (hence the promotional Lights Out campaign), reminiscent of the Lakers' early years at The Forum. Initial fan reaction was positive, and has been a fixture on home games since. The Daktronics see-through shot-clock was first installed prior to the 2008-09 NBA season. The Clippers adopted the new see through shot clock prior to the 2010-11 NBA season. For Sparks games, the court used is named after Sparks legend Lisa Leslie, and was officially named prior to the 2009 home opener against the Shock on June 6, 2009. In 2007 Crypto.com Arena removed 178 urinals and installed 178 waterless urinals created by Falcon Waterfree Technologies.[6]
On October 21, 2009, Crypto.com Arena celebrated its 10th anniversary.[7] 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.[8][9]
During the late summer of 2010, modifications were made to the arena, including refurbished locker rooms for the Clippers, Kings, and Lakers and the installation of a new high-definition center-hung video scoreboard, replacing the original one that had been in place since the building opened in 1999.[10] The Panasonic Live 4HD scoreboard was officially unveiled on September 22, as AEG and Crypto.com Arena executives, as well as player representatives from the Clippers (Craig Smith), Kings (Matt Greene), and Lakers (Sasha Vujacic) were on hand for the presentation.
During the Spring of 2012, NHL's Kings, along with NBA's Lakers and Clippers reached the post-season, making it the first time the arena would host three playoff teams.[11]
Also in 2012, the arena hosted the 54th Annual Grammy Awards and the 29th Annual Video Music Awards, marking the first time both awards ceremonies were held in the same venue in the same calendar year; many 54th Grammy winners, including Adele, would go on to win VMAs that same year.
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 16 championships the Lakers franchise has won.
As of 2021, the arena continues to utilize the former Staples all caps logoform which was phased out by that company in 2019. In all arena marketing, the Staples name continues to be used in all caps.
Following the sudden death of former basketball player Kobe Bryant in January 2020, a number of media outlets picked up on a phrase used by some, referring to the stadium as "The House That Kobe Built", due to his historic 20-year career with the Lakers.
On November 16, 2021, it was announced that the arena would be renamed the Crypto.com Arena.
Events[]
Crypto.com Arena has hosted the following championship events:
- NBA Finals:
- 2000: Games 1–2 and 6 took place at home. On June 7, 2000, the Lakers defeated the Indiana Pacers 104–87 in Game 1, and on June 9, 2000, they defeated the Pacers 111–104 to take a 2–0 series lead. On June 19, 2000, leading the series 3–2, the Lakers defeated the Pacers 116–111 in Game 6 to win their 12th championship title. This was also notable for being their first championship since 1988.
- 2001: Games 1–2 took place at home. On June 6, 2001, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Lakers 107–101 in overtime in Game 1, but on June 8, 2001, the Lakers defeated the 76ers 98–89 to tie the series. The Lakers would go on to defeat the 76ers in five games to win their 13th NBA championship.
- 2002: Both Game 1 and Game 2 took place at home. On June 5, 2002, the Lakers defeated the New Jersey Nets 99–94 in Game 1 and on June 7, 2002, they defeated the Nets 106–83 in Game 2 to take a 2–0 series lead. The Lakers would go on to sweep the Nets to win their 14th NBA championship and third consecutive NBA championship.
- 2004: Games 1–2 took place at home. On June 6, 2004, the Detroit Pistons defeated the Lakers 87–75 in Game 1, but on June 8, 2004, the Lakers defeated the Pistons 99–91 in overtime in Game 2 to tie the series. The Lakers would go on to lose to the Pistons in five games despite being the heavy favorites.
- 2008: Games 3–5 took place at home. On June 10, 2008, the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 87–81 in Game 3, but on June 12, 2008 the Celtics defeated the Lakers 97–91 in Game 4 to take a 3–1 series lead and were on the verge of winning the NBA championship in Crypto.com Arena, but on June 15, 2008, the Lakers defeated the Celtics 103–98 in Game 5 to force a Game 6 back in Boston. However, the Celtics defeated the Lakers 131–92 in Game 6 in a 39-point blowout, and they won their 17th NBA championship, marking the Lakers' 9th defeat to the Celtics in the NBA Finals.
- 2009: Games 1–2 took place at home. On June 4, 2009, the Lakers defeated the Orlando Magic 100–75 in Game 1, and on June 7, 2009, they beat the Magic 101–96 in Game 2 to take a 2–0 series lead. The Lakers would go on to defeat the Magic in five games to win their 15th NBA championship.
- 2010: Games 1–2 and 6–7 took place at home. On June 3, 2010, the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics 102–89 in Game 1, but on June 6, 2010, the Celtics defeated the Lakers 103–94 to tie the series. On June 15, 2010, with the Celtics leading the series 3–2, the Lakers defeated the Celtics 89–67 in Game 6 to force a decisive Game 7. On June 17, 2010, the Lakers defeated Celtics 83–79 in Game 7 to win their 16th NBA championship.
- Stanley Cup Finals:
- 2012: On June 11, 2012, the Kings captured their first Stanley Cup in franchise history after defeating the New Jersey Devils 6–1 at home in Game 6.
- 2014: On June 13, 2014, the Kings captured their second Stanley Cup in franchise history after defeating the New York Rangers 3–2 at home in double overtime of Game 5 on a goal scored by Alec Martinez. It was their second championship in the last 3 years.
The January 24, 2000 Episode of WCW Monday Nitro was held in the Crypto.com Arena.
In 2013 and 2016, Crypto.com Arena hosted the grand finals of the Worlds Championship of the video game League of Legends.
On September 24, 2016, the arena hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions.
On February 22-23, 2019, the Professional Bull Riders brought their annual "Iron Cowboy" bull riding elite series Unleash the Beast event to Crypto.com Arena in what will be the PBR's first-ever visit to the venue.
On June 9, 2019, the ACE Family hosted a charity basketball game against singer Chris Brown.
On November 9, 2019, the Crypto.com Arena hosted the rematch against YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul.
On February 24, 2020, Crypto.com Arena hosted a memorial commemorating Laker legend Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, after they, and seven others, were killed in a helicopter crash a month earlier.
On November 28, 2020, Crypto.com Arena hosted The exhibition match against retired boxers Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr.
2028 Summer Olympics[]
Crypto.com Arena will host the basketball competition at the 2028 Summer Olympics. It will host men's preliminaries as well as the men's and women's basketball finals.
Professional Wrestling[]
Along with hosting many episodes of Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown such as Smackdown’s Debut on FOX. WWE Smackdown is returning to the Crypto.com Arena on December 10 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. Crypto.com Arena has also hosted the following pay-per-views:
- Unforgiven (2002)
- Judgment Day (2004)
- WrestleMania 21
- No Way Out (2007)
- SummerSlam (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014)
- Hell in a Cell (2015)
- No Mercy (2017)
- NXT TakeOver: WarGames (2018)
- Survivor Series (2018)
Other events[]
The 2000 Democratic National Convention was held at Crypto.com Arena.
Awards and recognitions[]
Crypto.com Arena 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.
In February 2013, PETA named Crypto.com Arena the most "vegetarian-friendly" arena in the NBA.[12]
L.A. Live[]
Crypto.com Arena is only a part of a 4-million-square-foot (371,612.2 m2) development by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) adjoining Crypto.com Arena and the Los Angeles Convention Center. The development, known as L.A. Live, broke ground on September 15, 2005. L.A. Live is designed to offer entertainment, retail and residential programming in the downtown Los Angeles area.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "L.A. Facilities: Staples Center". Los Angeles Sports Council. http://www.lasports.org/lafacilities/display.php?s=Arena&id=19. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
- ↑ "Guest Services: Seating Capacity". Staples Center. http://www.staplescenter.com/guest-services/a-z. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
- ↑ Dwyre, Bill (January 25, 2009). "Shane Mosley Shows He's Not Finished". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-dwyre-mosley-margarito25-2009jan25,0,5631662.column. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
- ↑ "AEG Staples Center" (Press release). AEG Worldwide. http://www.aegworldwide.com/01_venues/staples_center.php. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
- ↑ Template:Cite video
- ↑ "Environment". http://www.staplescenter.com/about/environment. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
- ↑ Howard, Andrew (October 21, 2009). "Happy Birthday STAPLES Center". Los Angeles Kings. http://kings.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=502976. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
- ↑ "Staples Center Announces the Top 25 Greatest Moments as Nominated by the Fans". staplescenter.com. February 3, 2010. http://staplescenter.com/press/press-detail/681/staples-center-announces-the-top-25-greatest-moments-as-nominated-by-the-fans. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
- ↑ "Staples Center Announces the 10 Greatest Moments". staplescenter.com. April 15, 2010. http://staplescenter.com/press/press-detail/755/staples-center-announces-the-10-greatest-moments-in-the-venues-history-as-voted-on-by-the-fans. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ↑ "Staples Center unveils Live 4HD scoreboard system by Panasonic". staplescenter.com. September 22, 2010. http://www.staplescenter.com/doublecol.php?section=about&page=news_article&news_id=942. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
- ↑ Woike, Dan (2012-04-23). "Three playoff teams a 'windfall' for busy Staples Center". The Orange County Register. http://www.ocregister.com/articles/staples-350648-center-postseason.html. Retrieved 2013-08-11.
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