The iconic Staples Center will be no more in a little over a month's time. The home arena for the Los Angeles Lakers and L.A. Clippers is getting a name change for the first time in 22 years.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the building will soon be called Crypto.com Arena starting on Christmas Day.
Staples Center – the iconic home of the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers among others since 1999 – will have a new name beginning Dec. 25: https://t.co/lur8Hbuv0r Arena. It’s believed to be the largest U.S. venue naming rights deal to date.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 17, 2021
For a naming rights deal to such a fabled venue, there had to be some serious cash changing hands. While the exact details haven't been released just yet, the deal is rumored to be in the ballpark of $700 million in what would be an obvious record-breaking deal.
The arena opened on October 17, 1999, and is currently home to the Lakers, Clippers, LA Kings of the NHL, and LA Sparks of the WNBA. It's also been the marquee venue for concerts and events in the Los Angeles area.
The name Staples Center has grown synonymous with the Lakers over the past couple of decades, being the home venue for three different championship eras and basically the entirety of Kobe Bryant's career.
While the physical building isn't going anywhere, fans will definitely need some time to process calling it anything else. Better get used to hearing about the Crypto.com Arena, folks.
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