Crypto.com Arena

Lore & Background

The arena has been referred to as 'the deal that almost wasn't.' Long before construction broke ground, plans 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 Great Western Forum in Inglewood. Majestic Realty Co. and AEG were scouring the Los Angeles area for available land when they were approached by Steve Soboroff, then president of the LA Recreation and Parks Commission, who requested they consider building adjacent to the convention center. Months of contentious negotiations ensued, with opposition from Councilman Joel Wachs and councilwoman Rita Walters, but ultimately an agreement was reached and construction broke ground in 1997. The arena was financed privately at a cost of US$375 million and named for the office-supply company Staples Inc. The naming rights deal was extended for another 10 years in 2009. In 2021, the naming rights were acquired by Crypto.com, renaming it Crypto.com Arena effective after December 31, 2019, in a deal reported to be valued at $700 million over 20 years—the most valuable naming rights contract in all of sports. The name change was met with opposition and many fans still refer to it as Staples Center.

Reader's Guide

Crypto.com Arena is notable as the only arena in the NBA shared by two teams from 1999 to 2024 (the Lakers and Clippers), and one of only three North American professional sports venues to have hosted two teams from the same league. It has been the most frequent host of the Grammy Awards ceremony since its opening. The arena will host the artistic gymnastics competition and boxing finals during the 2028 Summer Olympics. Its attendance record is held by a boxing match between Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley with a crowd of 20,820. Outside at the Star Plaza are 14 statues of famous Los Angeles athletes and broadcasters, including the Los Angeles Kings Monument (erected 2016) and the Kobe and Gianna Bryant Memorial Statue (erected 2024). The arena has undergone renovations including a new US$10 million HD center-hung video scoreboard in 2010 and a multi-phase renovation beginning in 2022 expected to be completed in 2024. The arena has been referred to by some as 'The House That Kobe Built' due to his historic 20-year career with the Lakers.

Did You Know?

• The arena's attendance record of 20,820 was set by a boxing match between Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley on January 25, 2009.
• The arena was originally named Staples Center after a 10-year naming rights deal with Staples Inc., later extended for another 10 years in 2009.

The Deal That Almost Wasn't

The arena's creation was anything but a foregone conclusion, earning the nickname 'the deal that almost wasn't.' In 1995, Philip Anschutz and Edward P. Roski acquired the Los Angeles Kings, who at the time were playing at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood. By 1996, the pair began searching for a new permanent home. Their search led them to downtown Los Angeles after Steve Soboroff, then president of the LA Recreation and Parks Commission, approached them with a proposal to build adjacent to the convention center. What followed were months of heated negotiations with city officials. Roski and John Semcken of Majestic Realty spearheaded the developers' side, while Councilman Joel Wachs pushed back against the use of public funds and Councilwoman Rita Walters objected to specific elements of the plan. The developers threatened to pull out entirely on more than one occasion. The project was ultimately financed privately at a cost of $375 million, with Staples Inc. securing naming rights through a 10-year agreement that was extended by another decade in 2009. Construction broke ground in 1997, and the arena opened its doors in October 1999.

Opening Night and a Shared Home

The arena's inaugural event on October 17, 1999, was a Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band concert, setting a tone of spectacle from day one. Just three days later, the Kings tied the Boston Bruins 2-2 in overtime in their first game at the new venue. The Clippers followed on November 2 with a 92-104 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Lakers opened their tenure on November 3 with a 103-88 victory over the Vancouver Grizzlies. For 25 years, the building held a unique distinction: it was the only NBA arena shared by two teams, and one of just three North American professional sports venues to house two teams from the same league, alongside SoFi Stadium in nearby Inglewood and New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. That arrangement ended in 2024 when the Clippers departed for their new Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The venue also served as home to the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, the Arena Football League's Los Angeles Avengers, which folded in 2009, and the NBA G League's South Bay Lakers before their relocation to the Lakers' practice facility in El Segundo.

Space, Scale, and the Attendance Record

The arena spans 950,000 square feet of total space, rising 150 feet tall, with a 94-by-200-foot playing surface at its core. Seating flexibility is a defining feature: capacity reaches 19,067 for basketball, 18,145 for ice hockey, and approximately 20,000 for concerts or other sporting events. Two-thirds of the seats, including 2,500 club seats, occupy the lower bowl, while 160 luxury suites, 15 of them designated as event suites, sit across three levels between the lower and upper bowls. The all-time attendance record belongs to a January 25, 2009 boxing match between WBA Welterweight Champion Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley, which drew a crowd of 20,820. In the 2010 offseason, the venue underwent a significant renovation that included refurbished locker rooms for the Lakers, Kings, and Clippers, along with the installation of a $10 million HD center-hung video scoreboard. The Panasonic Live 4HD display was officially unveiled on September 22, 2010, with player representatives Sasha Vujacic, Craig Smith, and Matt Greene present for the presentation.

Statues, Nicknames, and Stories in the Corridors

The arena's cultural footprint extends well beyond the playing surface. Outside at Star Plaza, 14 statues honor famous Los Angeles athletes and broadcasters, joined by the 2016 Los Angeles Kings Monument and the 2024 Kobe and Gianna Bryant Memorial Statue, with a third Kobe Bryant statue honoring his number 24 currently in the planning stages. The nickname 'The House That Kobe Built' emerged from his historic 20-year Lakers career and was widely adopted by media outlets. The venue has been the most frequent host of the Grammy Awards ceremony since its opening and remains a premier destination for major concerts. Looking ahead, Crypto.com Arena will host the artistic gymnastics competition and boxing finals during the 2028 Summer Olympics. Even the building's corridors carry memorable stories: on January 15, 2018, Chris Paul used a secret tunnel connecting the away team's locker room to the backdoor of the Clippers' locker room to confront former teammates Austin Rivers and Blake Griffin after a Rockets-Clippers game, an incident involving Trevor Ariza, James Harden, and Gerald Green that resulted in verbal altercations.

Gallery