- Staple Center officially changed its name to Crypto.com Arena.
- The crypto exchange paid more than $700 million to put its name on the arena.
- Staple Center has hosted several famous sports and entertainment since it opened in 1999.
Christmas day honors a new start for the Los Angeles Lakers. They are ready to play their first game in the newly-branded Crypto.com Arena. The building is changing its name to Crypto.com Arena on Christmas. It is said to be the richest naming ownership deal in sports history.
Tonight we officially take on our new name: https://t.co/mht717x15U Arena.To commemorate opening night, @cryptocom created a limited-edition NFT!Claim yours here: https://t.co/wrVzlOLnhB pic.twitter.com/s2jjJOrChh
— Crypto.com Arena (@cryptocomarena) December 25, 2021
Meanwhile, the team failed to defeat the San Antonio Spurs with a score of 138-110 in the last event on Friday at Staples Center.
On the other hand, the crypto platform and exchange paid more than $700 million to put its name on the arena that has hosted numerous famous sports and entertainment events since it opened in 1999.
Furthermore, advertising boards, signs, and several details have been modified at the arena to obliterate the Staple Center name. This event has a sentimental intent to L.A. sports fans who have correlated the name of an office-supply retail chain with the center of the basketball universe for more than two decades.
Moreover, the Lakers acknowledged the attachment and praised the name transition on Friday with a pregame video highlighting the team’s best moments in its arena. Besides, fans got a commemorative ticket and a gold T-shirt duplicating the first shirt given away by the team at this arena during the 2000 playoffs.
In a halftime ceremony, retired Lakers stars Byron Scott, Luke Walton, Robert Horry, Metta Sandiford-Artest, and Gary Payton stood around a Staples court emblem with the franchise’s six championship awards earned in this building.