Complete Guide To Visiting Crypto.com Arena, Home of the LA Lakers

Los Angeles loves its sports, and with so many franchises in the city, some of the teams naturally share an arena. Four of LA’s most popular sports franchises do just that at the former Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles, which is now named Crypto.com Arena. 

What professional teams call the Crypto.com Arena home?

• Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
• Los Angeles Clippers (NBA)
• Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA)
• Los Angeles Kings (NHL)

But there’s far more than sports taking place at Crypto.com Arena, a venue that also regularly hosts a range of live events, including concerts featuring some of the world’s top music artists. (And did we mention that Crypto.com Arena has hosted nearly two dozen Grammy Awards shows?) 

Whether you’re here for one of our guided tours of LA or visiting for a game, Read on to learn more about this historic arena, its star-studded history, and how to make the most of a visit. 

History of the Staples Center

Opened in 1999, the former Staples Center recently hit its 25th anniversary. 

Built as part of an effort to revitalize downtown Los Angeles, the initial idea for the arena came from billionaire Philip Anschutz, owner of the Los Angeles Kings, and Ed Roski Jr., owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. Their vision? To create a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment facility that would appeal to both locals and visiting tourists.

Work on the $375 million venue began in 1997, and two years later, the Staples Center officially opened its doors. The facility is a whopper of an indoor arena, covering 950,000 square feet and reaching as high as 150 feet in some areas. 

As you can imagine, there’s plenty of room — seating for nearly 19,000 people for basketball events, over 18,000 for ice hockey, and just under 20,000 for concerts and other sports events. The basketball court that makes up the heart of Crypto.com Arena can be transformed to accommodate all of these types of events, and then some.

As the arena approached its 25th anniversary in 2024, it underwent a multi-million dollar renovation that included updating premium spaces and reimagined areas for the general public.

Staples Center becomes Crypto.com Arena

The arena was originally named for Staples, the store. That’s right. The office supply retailer donated enough to its construction to earn the naming rights, and the Staples Center opened on October 17, 1999, with a performance by rock legend Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

After 22 years of operation, the Staples Center was renamed Crypto.com Arena, the switchover officially happening on Dec. 25, 2021. 

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Fun fact: This deal with the Singapore-based crypto company is believed to be the most lucrative naming rights agreement in the history of sports. Crypto.com reportedly paid a staggering $700 million.

And so we have Crypto.com Arena for 20 years — until Christmas in 2041.

Historic and high-profile events at the Staples Center

Given its location in a city that’s home to the entertainment industry, is it any surprise that Crypto.com Arena has hosted all kinds of high profile events over the years? Or that it continues to do so? 

Every year, there are more than 250 events at the facility. Some of the biggest over the years have included:

• The 2000 Democratic National Convention
• Michael Jackson’s memorial 
• 22 of the last 26 Grammy Awards shows
• 2002 and 2009 U.S. Figure Skating Championships 
• MTV Movie Awards 

What to see and do at Crypto.com Arena 

Even if you’re not a sports fan (and don’t have an invitation to a fancy event held there, like the Grammys), there are plenty of reasons to visit Crypto.com Arena.

Here are just a few.

Behind-the-scenes tours

Want a deeper look at this iconic sports and entertainment complex? Consider booking one of their VIP behind-the-scenes tours. 

The 90-minute, small-group, arena tour is led by a guide who takes participants through spaces that served as the backdrop for some of the venue’s most memorable moments. The $60 tour also provides a look at Crypto.com Arena’s exclusive VIP areas, such as the private suites, Lexus Club, and Yaamava’ Club by San Manuel, all of which are usually reserved for high rollers and A-listers.

Sports legend statues in Star Plaza

Just outside Crypto.com Arena, there’s a space known as Star Plaza (located at the corner of Chick Hearn Ct and Figueroa Street.) Here, you’ll find 13 statues installed in honor of various famous athletes.

A few of the sports legends statues in Star Plaza at the former Staples Center include:

• Wayne Gretzky
• Magic Johnson
• Shaquille O’Neal
• Oscar De La Hoya
• Kareem Abudal-Jabbar

Perhaps the most poignant is the statue of late Lakers star and icon Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, both of whom died in a 2020 helicopter crash. The statue shows Kobe Bryant embracing his daughter and kissing her forehead. It’s one of three statues at the arena dedicated to Kobe Bryant. One of the other Kobe Bryant statues onsite is a 19-foot tall, 4,000-pound bronze memorial showing Bryant in his No. 8 jersey.

Fun fact: There’s another place you can find Kobe, and he looks pretty lifelike. Snap a selfie with the Lakers legend on our Hollywood Stars VIP Tour, which takes you behind the scenes of the famous wax museum with an LA local to share star secrets.

Team LA store

If you want to pick up a souvenir from your visit to Crypto.com Arena such as the jersey of your favorite athlete, don’t miss the Team LA store. The store sells officially licensed apparel representing NBA, NHL and MLS teams.

Visiting L.A. LIVE

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Crypto.com Arena sits amid the bustling L.A. LIVE sports and entertainment district, which is also worth exploring once you’ve had your fill of the arena itself.

The L.A. LIVE multi-use campus includes more than a dozen restaurants, a bowling alley, movie theater, a museum, and the Peacock Theater, a 7,100-seat concert and awards show venue. 

And if you’re looking for a place to stay while in the area, there are also two hotels here: the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Los Angeles and the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE.

Grammy Museum

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One of the highlights of L.A. LIVE is the dynamic Grammy Museum, which was opened in 2008. 

As the name suggests, the museum is dedicated to showcasing all things Grammy-related. That includes a variety of interactive exhibits spread over four floors, including one designed specifically for children that turns music-making into a hands-on experience. 

The museum’s permanent exhibits include “The Sounds of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow,” featuring a reel of recent Grammy performances, and one-of-a-kind music history artifacts such as Taylor Swift’s 2010 Grammy award for Best Country Song and a harmonica that belonged to Stevie Wonder. Museum ticket prices range from $15 to $22, and kids 17 and under get in free.

Tips for visiting Crypto.com Arena

Crypto.com Arena is a great place to visit when you’re exploring downtown LA. It’s located near the city’s metro light rail (Pico Station), which makes this attraction easy and cheap to reach. 

The arena is also close to several major freeways, including the 10 and the 110 freeways. And there are over 3,000 parking spaces operated by Crypto.com Arena in the neighborhood surrounding the facility.

Crypto.com Arena and more in LA

While Crypto.com Arena is best known for being a world-class sports and entertainment complex, there’s a lot to see and do here even when major events aren’t taking place. It’s an area where visitors can explore a mix of sports history and music history and also enjoy a memorable meal or pick up a souvenir.

If you have more time, consider exploring some of the city’s other top attractions, such as the Getty Center, known for its expansive collection of classical art.