- Address: 1111 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles
- Country: United States
- Capacity: 19,000
- Opened: 17 October 1999
- Main use: Basketball, ice hockey
- Tenants: Los Angeles Clippers (basketball), Los Angeles Kings (ice hockey), Los Angeles Lakers (basketball), Los Angeles Sparks (basketball)
Extra stadium info – Crypto.com Arena
The Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as the STAPLES Center, is among the most famous indoor venues in the world. The construction of the arena started in 1997. Its construction costs were $375 million. The Crypto.com Arena known as a venue for several events, like basketball, boxing, concerts, figure skating, ice hockey, indoor American football, mixed martial arts, political events, tennis and wrestling.
Tenants
The Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers play National Basketball Association home games at the Crypto.com Arena. It is also used for National Hockey League home games of the Los Angeles Kings and Women’s National Basketball Association home games of the Los Angeles Sparks. The Clippers and the Lakers are among the most popular basketball clubs in the world. The Los Angeles Kings ice hockey club is among the most popular ice hockey clubs in the world. The Los Angeles Sparks won their first WNBA championship title in 2001 after beating the former women’s basketball club Charlotte Sting.
Statues
A statue of Earvin Johnson, a former player of the Los Angeles Lakers, was unveiled outside the Crypto.com Arena. A statue of Wayne Gretzky, who played for the Los Angeles Kings, was also unveiled outside the arena. Several more statues of famous athletes were unveiled later. Wayne Gretzky, who was born in Canada, is generally regarded as one of the best ice hockey players ever. He played NHL games for the Edmonton Oilers, the Los Angeles Kings and the St. Louis Blues before he ended his professional ice hockey career with the New York Rangers.
Championship series
In 2000, the Crypto.com Arena hosted its first match for the championship series of the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA championship that year after defeating the Indiana Pacers. In 2012, the Crypto.com Arena hosted its first match for the championship series of the NHL. The Los Angeles Kings won their first Stanley Cup that year after defeating the New Jersey Devils. The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers became the first clubs with 10 NBA championship titles.
Kobe Bryant and Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal
The basketball legends Kobe Bean Bryant and Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal both joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996. Amid a conflict between O’Neal and Bryant, O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004. Kobe Bryant, nicknamed Black Mamba, played for the Lakers until 2016. He won his first-ever NBA title after beating the Indiana Pacers with the Lakers. Bryant, who was known as a fan of the Spanish football giants FC Barcelona, won five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. On 26 January 2020, Kobe Bryant and his daughter died in a helicopter crash. Several more people died in the crash.
LeBron James
LeBron James played numerous games for the Lakers. He is widely regarded as one of the best basketball players ever. LeBron Raymone James played NBA games for the Cleveland Cavaliers from Ohio and the Miami Heat from Florida before he signed with the Lakers in 2018. He won several NBA championship titles. LeBron James featured in the sequel to Space Jam, a world famous movie featuring the basketball legend Michael Jordan.