| 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: 19,079 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) (1999–2024) 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 
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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 the Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange 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 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 Clippers of the NBA also played in the arena from 1999 to 2024, before leaving for their new arena, the Intuit Dome, located in Inglewood in 2024. 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.
From 1999 to 2024, it was 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.
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.
| 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�|}
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. 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. Following the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others in a helicopter crash in January 2020, a number of media outlets picked up on a phrase used by some, referring to the arena as "The House That Kobe Built", due to his historic 20-year career with the Lakers. On August 24, 2020, Los Angeles City Council president Herb Wesson announced a proposal to rename the stretch of Figueroa Street around Staples Center to "Kobe Bryant Boulevard". 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. On November 16, 2021, it was announced that the naming rights to the Staples Center had been acquired by Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com, renaming it Crypto.com Arena effective December 25, 2021 (with the changeover coinciding with the Lakers' nationally televised 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. The name change was met with opposition and many fans still refer to this arena as the Staples Center. 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. Events[]Crypto.com Arena has hosted the following championship events:
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. On April 14, 2024, the Clippers played their final regular season home game at the arena against the Houston Rockets, losing 116–105. On May 1, 2024, the Clippers played their final game at the arena against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, losing 123–93. 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 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:
A broadcast of WCW Monday Nitro was held at the arena on January 24, 2000. The arena hosted SmackDown and the 2023 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony on March 31 as well as NXT Stand & Deliver on April 1 and Raw on April 3, as part of WrestleMania 39 weekend. Other events[]The 2000 Democratic National Convention was held at Crypto.com Arena. Celebrity memorials[]The arena has hosted three public memorials for celebrities. First, it was for the memorial of musician Michael Jackson following his death on June 25, 2009. The memorial took place on July 7, 2009. It included eulogies or performances from Smokey Robinson, Mariah Carey, Macaulay Culkin, Trey Lorenz, Queen Latifah, Lionel Richie, John Mayer, Stevie Wonder, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, Jennifer Hudson, Berry Gordy, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Brooke Shields, Martin Luther King III, Bernice King, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Usher, Shaheen Jafargholi, Kenny Ortega, Judith Hill, Orianthi Panagaris, his siblings Marlon, Jermaine, and Janet, and his daughter Paris. In 2019, a memorial took place at the arena for rapper Nipsey Hussle following his death on March 31, 2019. The memorial service took place on April 11, 2019. Attendees and performers included rapper YG, Stevie Wonder who sang "Tears in Heaven", his wife Lauren London, Jhené Aiko, Anthony Anderson, Marsha Ambrosius and Snoop Dogg who gave a eulogy. A hurst procession after the service followed through various South Los Angeles communities. In 2020, it served as the location for the public memorial of basketball player Kobe Bryant following the death of him and his daughter Gianna, among others, in the 2020 Calabasas helicopter crash. It took place on February 24 (2/24, a reference to Gianna's and Kobe's basketball numbers) 2020. It included eulogies from his wife Vanessa, Shaquille O'Neal, Michael Jordan, Rob Pelinka, Diana Taurasi, and Sabrina Ionescu. 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[]
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