For 22 years, Staples Center has been the name of the building that has been the home of so many memorable LA sports moments. Granted, most of that is from the Lakers but don’t ignore the fact that the Kings have won two Stanley Cups and the Sparks won three WNBA championships in that time.
Even though Staples Center has multiple tenants, the arena is most synonymous with the Lakers. Six titles, eight Finals appearances, and the home of the bulk of Kobe’s career, Staples Center has been a special place for Lakers fans.
While the physical building isn’t going anywhere, a piece of Staples Center will be going away and that’s the name. Thursday is the final Lakers game with the “Staples Center” name as it’ll officially change to “Crypto.com Arena” on Christmas Day.
The Lakers tweeted a tribute this morning that also appeared in a full-page ad in the LA Times.
22 Years of Lakers History at STAPLES Center. pic.twitter.com/st0h570eBM
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 23, 2021
And before their game against the San Antonio Spurs, the Lakers posted a tribute video and revealed that fans in attendance will receive “I Love LA” shirts that were given out for Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals.
Here's to our favorite stories, and to the ones yet to be written. pic.twitter.com/mqzBfyxRLA
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) December 24, 2021
I get it if the physical arena is being torn down but it seems a bit strange to see so much melancholy placed on the naming rights of an arena changing from one brand to another. Either way, it’s great news for Staples. They don’t need to pay for the naming rights anymore and a lot of fans are still going to call it “Staples Center” for a very long time.
