March 26 marks the anniversary of a turning point for sports and entertainment in Southern California. On this date in 1998, city officials and developers gathered in downtown Los Angeles to break ground on Staples Center, the arena that would become home to multiple professional teams and countless memorable moments.
The building opened in 1999 and immediately hosted the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, as well as the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings. The WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks joined the tenant roster in 2001.
The Lakers wasted no time stamping their legacy on the new venue. Led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, the club captured the first of three straight NBA championships in its inaugural season at Staples Center. That 1999-2000 campaign also delivered one of the franchise’s signature highlights: Bryant’s alley-oop lob to O’Neal in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.
Staples Center has since hosted a string of iconic performances, including O’Neal’s 60-point outburst on his birthday against the Clippers, Bryant’s 81-point game, and Robert Horry’s buzzer-beater versus the Sacramento Kings. In total, the Lakers have claimed six NBA titles during the Staples Center era, clinching two of them on their home floor.
The arena’s championship pedigree extends beyond basketball. The Kings celebrated both of their Stanley Cup victories inside the building, while the Sparks clinched two of their three WNBA titles there. The Clippers have yet to raise a banner, but they, too, have logged more than two decades of regular-season and playoff games under the same roof.
In 2021, a 20-year naming-rights agreement rebranded the venue as Crypto.com Arena. The deal includes a multi-phase renovation intended to modernize the facility while preserving the atmosphere that has defined it since that groundbreaking ceremony 26 years ago.
Source: Lakers Nation
