Staples Center
The downtown arena where the Clippers played alongside the Lakers from 1999 to 2024.
From 1999 until moving to Intuit Dome in 2024, the Los Angeles Clippers called Crypto.com Arena (originally and still commonly known as Staples Center) their home. Located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center along Figueroa Street, the arena is owned and operated by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG). The Clippers played there from 1999 to 2024, sharing the venue with the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Kings. During that time, it was the only arena in the NBA shared by two teams.
- Location
- Downtown Los Angeles
- Clippers Tenure
- 1999–2024
- Shared Tenant
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Capacity
- Approx. 19,000 for basketball
- Status
- Former Home Arena
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
The Clippers' first game at the arena was on November 2, 1999, a 92–104 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics. Over the years, the arena underwent renovations, including a new US$10 million HD center-hung video scoreboard and jumbotron unveiled on September 22, 2010. The Clippers broke ground on a new arena in Inglewood, California, known as Intuit Dome, which became its new home arena in 2024. The arena's naming rights were acquired by Crypto.com, renaming it Crypto.com Arena effective after December 31, 2019, in a deal reported to be valued at $700 million over 20 years.
In Their Own Story
On January 15, 2018, after an NBA basketball game between the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers, point guard Chris Paul utilized a secret tunnel connecting the away team's locker room to the backdoor of the Clippers locker room to confront former Clipper teammates Austin Rivers and Blake Griffin. Paul was joined by teammates Trevor Ariza, James Harden, and Gerald Green, which resulted only in verbal altercations.
Reader's Guide
The arena seats up to 19,067 for basketball, with two-thirds of the seating in the lower bowl including 2,500 club seats. There are 160 luxury suites on three levels between the lower and upper bowls. The arena's attendance record is held by a boxing match between Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley with a crowd of 20,820 on January 25, 2009. Outside at the Star Plaza are 14 statues of famous Los Angeles athletes and broadcasters, plus the Los Angeles Kings Monument erected in 2016 and the Kobe and Gianna Bryant Memorial Statue erected in 2024.
Did You Know?
- The Clippers' first game at the arena was on November 2, 1999, a 92–104 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics.
- From 1999 to 2024, it was the only arena in the NBA shared by two teams.
- The arena's naming rights deal with Crypto.com was reported to be valued at $700 million over 20 years.
- The arena's attendance record of 20,820 was set by a boxing match between Antonio Margarito and Shane Mosley on January 25, 2009.
- The Kobe and Gianna Bryant Memorial Statue was erected in Star Plaza in 2024.