The Los Angeles Lakers have dramatically rebuilt their roster over the past two years. Their arena is undergoing its own massive renovation.
The recently-renamed venue in downtown Los Angeles — the home to the Lakers, Clippers (for now), Kings, Sparks, and a host of live events — has broken ground on a multi-million dollar redesign that will functionally change the fan experience inside and outside the facility. The Los Angeles Times provided a stunning first look at the details on Monday.
The million-square-foot, 23-year-old venue formerly known as the Staples Center will upgrade every ounce of the property in a project that could take three years to complete. Construction began in May and will continue throughout the NBA and NHL seasons. Here are a few notable details, per the Times:
“Along with customary changes — new jumbo screens, updated concession stands, a better sound system — the project will follow industry trends that emphasize ‘fan experience' over simply walking in and finding a seat. … that means eliminating the street between the arena and L.A. Live to create a tree-lined public plaza with music and big-tent attractions. It means adding a glass-walled club so patrons can watch players file out of the locker room.
More significantly, crews will blast out the upper seats at one end, creating an indoor/outdoor space where fans can mingle on a terrace overlooking downtown, then stroll inside the bowl to peer down on the court…
…Additions during this first summer will include two 65-foot video boards at the south end of the building, bracketing the retired Laker jerseys, and more LED ribbons to make for a total of three full rings.”
The Lakers' home — which is owned and operated by AEG — is striving to keep up with gems like SoFi Stadium and the in-progress Intuit Dome in Inglewood, which will house the Clippers beginning in 2024. The Lakers signed a 20-year agreement to remain at Crypto based on the promise of large-scale improvements. (Frankly, as somebody who is often in the bowels of the arena covering the Lakers, I can attest first-hand that that place is deeply in need of a polishing-up.)
There is no word yet on what the overall cost of the project is.
Hopefully, the arena's renovation is a bit more successful than the Lakers' recent roster construction.