The 20,000-seat arena has been the Staples
Center since it opened in October 1999, with
the naming rights owned by the American
office-supplies retail company under a 20-year
agreement. The name will change when the
Lakers host the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA’s annual
Christmas showcase.
Crypto.com is a cryptocurrency platform and
exchange headquartered in Singapore. Founded
in 2016, Crypto.com has been on a spending
spree across the global sports landscape over the
past year. The platform has inked high-visibility
sponsorship deals with Formula One, the UFC,
Italy’s Serie A, Paris St-Germain and the NHL’s
Montreal Canadiens — while also purchasing the
Philadelphia 76ers’ uniform sponsorship patch.
AEG, the sports and entertainment
conglomerate that has majority ownership
of the Kings and had a stake in the Lakers
until last summer, built the arena that quickly
became a famous setting for major events in
the U.S.’ second-largest metropolitan area.
Along with its sports tenants, the arena has
hosted 19 Grammy Awards ceremonies,
three NBA All-Star Games, two NHL All-Star
Games and countless high-profile concerts,
performances and important public events,
including memorials for Michael Jackson,
Nipsey Hussle and Kobe Bryant.
The Lakers have won six NBA championships
during their tenure in the cavernous arena,
including three straight in its first three years of
operation. Banners commemorating the Lakers’
17 NBA titles hang high on the walls above
the playing floor, providing what might be the
most distinctive interior feature of the building.