The iconic STAPLES Center in Los Angeles is celebrating its 20-year anniversary this week.
Founded in 1999, the arena has grown into a world-class facility — on par with New York’s Madison Square Garden and London’s O2 Arena — and is now home to four professional sports teams, including the NBA’s Lakers and Clippers.
Yet opening STAPLES two decades ago in the less-than-thriving downtown City of Angels was a risky bet.
“The success of STAPLES Center was never guaranteed,” said Lee Zeidman, the president of STAPLES Center and L.A. Live, an adjacent entertainment center. “Nobody went downtown. It rolled up its carpet and closed at 5 p.m.”
Today, STAPLES draws enormous crowds to its events, which range from basketball to hockey to the Grammy Awards. In total, the arena has held 5,000 events, welcomed 75 million fans, and sold over 20 million beers.
The arena is also gearing up for a major event in the sports world next week: the NBA’s October 22 opening night matchup between the teams that call it home: the Lakers and the Clippers.
“We will be the center of the NBA universe,” said Zeidman, who was the arena's first full-time employee 20 years ago. “It is one of the most anticipated opening night games in the history of the NBA."
On this episode of ChedHER: Ooshma Garg, CEO of Gobble and Sunbasket, breaks down how she found her entrepreneurial spirit, and gives advice for successfully scaling and growing a business; Chastity Lord, President and CEO of the Jeremiah Program, explains how she's disrupting the poverty cycle for single moms and their children; Dina Grilo, Vice President, DEI Lead for Office of Disability Inclusion at JPMorgan Chase & Co., explains how the firm is encouraging women with disabilities to seek office; Jess Berger, Founder and CEO of Bundle x Joy, talks about her $1 million seed raise that made her the first Latina in the pet care space to raise that amount.
Lawyers for Prince Harry have asked a judge to rule that a tabloid newspaper libeled the British royal with an article about his quest for police protection when he and his family visit the U.K.
The top entertainment headlines for March 17, 2023.
Good2Know is your daily dose of the news that could impact your day to day.
A 16-year-old singer, Faith Cochrane, landed the lead role in "Mama I Want to Sing" for the musical's 40th-anniversary return to the stage.
The French Bulldog is the most popular breed in the country, according to data by the American Kennel Club.
Pete Davidson's Peacock series "Bupkis" is set to premiere in May and includes Joe Pesci and Edie Falco.
Cheddar recs "Power Book II: Ghost," "Theo Von: Regular People," "Creed II," "I Think You Should Leave," and "In Our Time" podcast.
The top entertainment headlines for March 16, 2023.
T-Mobile has entered into an agreement to acquire the parent company of Mint Mobile, a direct-to-consumer prepaid wireless company partially owned by actor Ryan Reynolds.
