Staples Center

Staples Center (officially stylized as STAPLES Center) is a multi-purpose arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999.

Staples Center

Staples Center Location in L.A. metro area Staples Center Location in California Staples Center Location in the United States
Address	1111 South Figueroa Street
Location	Los Angeles, California
Coordinates	34°02′35″N 118°16′02″W
Public transit	Pico station
Owner	L.A. Arena company Anschutz Entertainment Group
Operator	L.A. Arena company Anschutz Entertainment Group
Capacity	Basketball: 19,060 (Clippers) 18,997 (Lakers)[1] Ice hockey: 18,230 (Kings)[2] Arena football: 16,096 Concerts: 10,000–13,000 Boxing/Wrestling: 21,000 Concert theatre: 8,000
Construction
Broke ground	March 31, 1997
Opened	October 17, 1999
Construction cost	US$375 million ($576 million in 2019 dollars[3])
Architect	NBBJ
Structural engineer	John A Martin & Associates[4]
Services engineer	M-E Engineers Inc.
General contractor	PCL Construction Services, Inc.[5]
Tenants
Los Angeles Kings (NHL) (1999–present) Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) (1999–present) Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) (1999–present) Los Angeles Avengers (AFL) (2000–2008) Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA) (2001–present) Los Angeles D-Fenders (NBA D-League) (2006–2010)

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 Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). 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.[6] Staples Center is also host to over 250 events and nearly 4 million guests each year.[7] It is the only arena in the NBA shared by two teams, as well as one of only three 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 one; SoFi Stadium, the home of the National Football League's Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams, is the other. Staples Center is the venue of the Grammy Awards ceremony and will host the basketball competition during the 2028 Summer Olympics.

On August 24, 2020, a day the city of Los Angeles designated Kobe Bryant Day to honor former Lakers guard Kobe Bryant who died in a helicopter crash in January of that year, the City of Los Angeles announced that Figueroa Street between Olympic and Martin Luther King Jr., which includes the area Staples Center is on, will be renamed Kobe Bryant Boulevard.[8]

Description

Structure and architecture

Staples Center measures 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.[6] The arena seats up to 19,067 for basketball, 18,340 for ice hockey, and around 20,000 for concerts or other sporting events.[1][7] 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.[6] 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.[9]

Star Plaza

Outside the arena at the Star Plaza are statues of famous Los Angeles athletes and broadcasters.

An 11th statue, honoring Los Angeles Sparks center Lisa Leslie, is slated to be unveiled in the future.[10]

Name	Sport	Date	Notes
Wayne Gretzky	Ice hockey	October 9, 2002	Played for the Los Angeles Kings at The Forum in 1988–1996
Magic Johnson	Basketball	February 11, 2004	Played for the Los Angeles Lakers at The Forum in 1979–1991 and 1996
Oscar De La Hoya	Boxing	December 1, 2008[11]
Chick Hearn	Basketball	April 20, 2010	Long-time Lakers broadcaster (1961–2002)
Jerry West	Basketball	February 17, 2011	Played for the Lakers in 1960–1974 and coached the Lakers in 1976–1979
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar	Basketball	November 16, 2012	Played for the Lakers in 1975–1989
Luc Robitaille	Ice hockey	March 7, 2015[12]	Played for the Kings in 1986–1994, 1997–2001, and 2003–2006
Shaquille O'Neal	Basketball	March 24, 2017[13]	Played for the Lakers in 1996–2004
Bob Miller	Ice hockey	January 13, 2018[14]	Long-time Kings broadcaster (1973–2017)
Elgin Baylor	Basketball	April 6, 2018[15]	Played for the Lakers in 1958–1971

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. Paul was joined by teammates, Trevor Ariza, James Harden, and Gerald Green to confront the opponents, which only resulted in verbal altercations.[16]

History

Staples Center during a Lakers game prior to the installation of the new scoreboard, and after the implementation of a new lighting system.

Staples Center has been referred to as "the deal that almost wasn't."[17][18]

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.[19] 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.[20][21]

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 Staples Center, was devised.[19]

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.[19] The main opposition came from Councilman Joel Wachs, who opposed utilizing public funds to subsidize the proposed project,[18][22] and councilwoman Rita Walters, who objected to parts of it.[23]

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.[6] The arena opened on October 17, 1999, with a Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band concert as its inaugural event.

On October 21, 2009, Staples Center celebrated its 10th anniversary.[24] 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.[25][26]

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 US$10 million HD center-hung video scoreboard and jumbotron, replacing the original one that had been in place since the building opened in 1999.[27] The Panasonic Live 4HD scoreboard was officially unveiled on September 22, 2010, as AEG and Staples Center executives, as well as player representatives from the Clippers (Craig Smith), Kings (Matt Greene), and Lakers (Sasha Vujacic) were on hand for the presentation.

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",[28][29] due to his historic 20-year career with the Lakers.

Events

Music

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band were the first act to perform at the venue on its opening in 1999.

After his death in 2009, Michael Jackson's memorial service was held at Staples Center.[30]

Rapper Nipsey Hussle's memorial service was also held at Staples Center on April 11, 2019.[31]

Staples Center also hosted the 1st Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2000 and the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards.

Taylor Swift has performed 16 sold-out shows at the venue; the most number of appearances at the venue by a female artist.

Mexican Superstar and Latin Pop Queen Gloria Trevi along with Mexican Queen of Rock Alejandra Guzman performed two sold out nights of their Versus World Tour.

Grammy Awards

The annual Grammy Awards ceremony have been held at Staples Center since 2000, with the exception of 2003 and 2018. As of 2020, the venue has hosted the Grammy Awards nineteen 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 Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers (NBA), and Los Angeles Kings of the NHL. The Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA joined in 2001, while 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.[32]

Since its opening day, the Staples Center has hosted seven NBA Finals series with the Lakers, the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup Finals, three WNBA Finals, the 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the 52nd and 62nd NHL All-Star game, three NBA All-Star Games (2004, 2011 and 2018), the Pacific-10 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament (2002–12), the WTA Tour Championships (2002–05), UFC 60 in 2006, UFC 104 in 2009, UFC 184 in 2015, UFC 227 in 2018, the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, the Summer X Games indoor competitions (2003–13), and several HBO Championship Boxing matches.[7][33]

Staples Center before a Clippers game, featuring the new hanging scoreboard

On January 22, 2006, Los Angeles Lakers player Kobe Bryant scored a career-high 81 points in the Staples Center against the Toronto Raptors, the second-highest number of points scored in a single game in NBA history,[34] 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 Staples Center with series-winning victories at home.

Prior to the 2006–07 NBA season, the lighting inside Staples Center 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.[35] 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 player Lisa Leslie, and was officially named prior to the 2009 home opener against the Shock on June 6, 2009.

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.

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.[36]

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.

The panoramic view of Staples Center during a Lakers game.

Staples Center has hosted the following championship events:

• NBA Finals:
  • 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
  • 2002 The Lakers hosted games 1 and 2 versus the New Jersey Nets
  • 2004 The Lakers hosted games 1 and 2 versus the Detroit Pistons
  • 2008 The Lakers hosted games 3, 4 and 5 versus the Boston Celtics
  • 2009 The Lakers hosted games 1 and 2 versus the Orlando Magic
  • 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.
• 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 in game 6.[37]
  • 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.

The January 24, 2000 episode of WCW Monday Nitro was held in the Staples Center.

In 2013 and 2016, Staples Center hosted the grand finals of the Worlds Championship of the video game League of Legends.[38]

On September 24, 2016, the arena hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions.[39]

On February 22–23, 2019, the Professional Bull Riders brought their annual "Iron Cowboy" bull riding elite series Unleash the Beast event to Staples Center in what will be the PBR's first-ever visit to the venue.[40]

Night view of Staples Center and L.A. Live

On June 9, 2019, the ACE Family hosted a charity basketball game against singer Chris Brown. On November 9, 2019, the STAPLES Center hosted the rematch against YouTubers KSI and Logan Paul. On February 24, 2020, Staples Center 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, STAPLES Center hosted The exhibition match against retired boxers Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. [41]

2028 Summer Olympics

Staples Center 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.[42]

Wrestling

Along with hosting many episodes of Monday Night Raw and Friday Night Smackdown, Staples Center 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 Staples Center.[43][44]

Awards and recognitions

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.[7]

In February 2013, PETA named Staples Center the most "vegetarian-friendly" arena in the NBA.[45]

L.A. Live

Staples Center is only a part of a 4-million-square-foot (371,612.2 m²) development by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) adjoining Staples Center 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.[46][47]

Image gallery

• 
  Staples Center in 2002
• 
  Staples Center as seen from Microsoft Square
• 
  Satellite view of Staples Center prior to the L.A. Live development
• 
  Staples Center during a Los Angeles Kings game
• 
  The red carpet under the tent leading to Staples Center for the 54th Grammy Awards
• 
  Inside Staples Center during a Los Angeles Kings game
• 
  Inside Staples Center in a Los Angeles Lakers game set up
• 
  Inside Staples Center before a Los Angeles Kings game
• 
  Inside Staples Center before a Los Angeles Lakers game
• 
  Inside Staples Center during WWE SummerSlam 2009
• 
  Star Plaza entrance and the Kobe Bryant impromptu memorial February 2020.

See also

• Joel Wachs, Los Angeles City Council member who forged a deal to bring the sports arena to L.A.
• List of music venues in Los Angeles, a list of other music venues in Los Angeles.

References

1. "Guest Services: Seating Capacity". Staples Center. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
2. Kalinowski, Mike; Fischerman, Eddie; Moeller, Jeff; Altieri, MIchael; Nickson, Nick (2014). LA Kings 2014-15 Media Guide. Los Angeles Kings. p. 327.
3. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
4. JAMA – Sports & Recreation Archived 2011-07-12 at the Wayback Machine
5. Staples Center – Basketball – Ballparks.com
6. "L.A. Facilities: Staples Center". Los Angeles Sports Council. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
7. "AEG Staples Center" (Press release). AEG Worldwide. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
8. "Kobe Bryant Boulevard: Part of Figueroa St outside Staples Center to be renamed after Lakers legend". ABC7.com.
9. Dwyre, Bill (January 25, 2009). "Shane Mosley Shows He's Not Finished". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
10. Scott Polacek (September 5, 2019). "WNBA Legend Lisa Leslie to Be Honored with Statue Outside Staples Center". Bleacher Report.
11. Plaschke, Bill (December 2, 2008). "Oscar De La Hoya Gets A Statue Of Limitations". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 2, 2008.
12. Zupke, Curtis (March 7, 2015). "Robitaille Honored To Have Statue Unveiled". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
13. "Lakers to honor Shaq with statue outside Staples". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
14. Morales, Robert (January 13, 2018). "Bob Miller statue at Staples Center is dreamy stuff". Los Angeles Daily News.
15. "Lakers Unveil Elgin Baylor Statue Outside of STAPLES Center | Los Angeles Lakers". Los Angeles Lakers. Retrieved 2018-04-07.
16. Ward-Henninger, Colin (Jan 16, 2018). "Report: Chris Paul, other Rockets entered Clippers locker room after testy game". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
17. "History of AEG: The deal that almost wasn't". Daily News. 2012-09-22. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
18. Mandell, Jason. "The Staples Center Score". Los Angeles Downtown News - The Voice of Downtown Los Angeles. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
19. WHARTON, DAVID; NORWOOD, ROBYN (1999-10-10). "Six Who Made It Happen". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
20. MERL, JEAN. "Council Expected to Be Given Plan for Arena Ticket Levy". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
21. "Staples becomes a beacon for urban renewal". www.sportsbusinessdaily.com. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
22. ROHRLICH, TED (1997-08-28). "Arena Developers Adopt a Strategy of Disclosure". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
23. MERL, JEAN (1997-01-16). "Council Endorses Deal to Build Sports Arena". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
24. Howard, Andrew (October 21, 2009). "Happy Birthday STAPLES Center". Los Angeles Kings. Retrieved October 26, 2009.
25. "Staples Center Announces the Top 25 Greatest Moments as Nominated by the Fans". staplescenter.com. February 3, 2010. Archived from the original on June 17, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
26. "Staples Center Announces the 10 Greatest Moments". staplescenter.com. April 15, 2010. Archived from the original on December 13, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
27. "Staples Center unveils Live 4HD scoreboard system by Panasonic". staplescenter.com. September 22, 2010. Archived from the original on November 28, 2010. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
28. Ortiz, Aimee (26 January 2020). "Kobe Bryant Is Honored at the Grammys With Tributes and Jerseys". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
29. "Tributes Planned for an Emotional Night in the House That Kobe Built". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
30. TVGuideNews (July 7, 2009). "Top Moments: Michael Jackson Memorial". TVGuide.com. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
31. Del Barco, Mandalit (April 11, 2019). "Thousands Gather In LA For Nipsey Hussle's Memorial Service And Procession". NPR. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
32. "About Staples Center" (Press release). AEG Worldwide. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
33. "Staples Center: 10 years of boxing and counting". ringtv.com. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
34. NBA Staff (January 22, 2006). Watch All of Kobe's 81 Points in 3 Minutes. NBA.
35. "Leading Off: Lakers 'Lights Out' Puts the Light back on the Court". www.sportsshooter.com. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
36. Woike, Dan (2012-04-23). "Three playoff teams a 'windfall' for busy Staples Center". The Orange County Register. Retrieved 2013-08-11.
37. Matsuda, Gann (2012-06-12). "Los Angeles Kings Win 2012 Stanley Cup, Turning Dreams Into Reality, The Unthinkable Into Fact". Retrieved 2013-08-11.
38. http://www.lolesports.com/en_US/articles/2016-world-championship-hits-north-america
39. "2016 Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions takes center stage beginning Sept. 15". usagym.org. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
40. Professional Bull Riders - PBR's Iron Cowboy moves to Los Angeles in 2019
41. https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/live-updates/kobe-bryant-memorial-gianna-staples-center-los-angeles-live-2020-02-24/
42. https://la28.org/assets/pdf/LA2024-candidature-part3_english.pdf
43. "Democrats have one plan for L.A. gathering: Introduce Al Gore". CNN. August 13, 2000.
44. "Welcome to the 2000 Democratic National Convention!". 2000. Archived from the original on 2000-08-03.
45. "STAPLES Center Named Top Veggie-Friendly NBA Arena". CBS Los Angeles. 2013-02-13. Retrieved 2013-08-11.
46. "AEG L.A. Live" (Press release). AEG Worldwide. Archived from the original on December 22, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
47. "L.A. Live timeline" (Press release). AEG Worldwide. Archived from the original on July 23, 2008. Retrieved January 1, 2008.

External links

• Staples Center official website
• AEG Worldwide
• Time lapse video switching between sports