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."

Share:
More In Culture
As U.S. Opioid Crisis Worsens, Price of Life-Saving Drug Naloxone Skyrockets
Jill Wagner and Baker Machado break down the state of the Opioid Crisis in the U.S. The CDC reported a 30% increase in overdose deaths from 2020 to 2021, but in recent months pharmaceutical companies have drastically raised the price of Naloxone or 'Narcan,' affecting the response of community harm prevention groups.
Examining the State of the Ride-Share Industry After Earnings From Uber and Lyft
The two biggest names in the ride-sharing industry reported earnings this week. Uber and Lyft both beat Wall Street expectations on their top and bottom lines, as the companies and the ride-sharing industry have recently faced several challenges like the pandemic, the supply chain crisis, and driver shortages. Johnson Research Group CEO Chris Johnson joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Mythical Games Raises $150 Million to Launch Playable NFT Game Platform
Gaming technology studio Mythical Games recently raised $150 million in a round led by Andreesen Horowitz, bringing Mythical's valuation to above unicorn status at $1.2 billion. Mythical Games' mission is to create a new generation of gaming with play-to-earn games that allow players to play to win actual cryptocurrency. Now the company is taking it to another level with NFT technology, allowing players to play with characters they can truly own. Mythical Games CEO John Linden joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Wedding Industry Bogged Down by Supply Chain Issues After Year of Postponed Ceremonies
The pandemic caused chaos in the wedding industry after ceremonies were postponed last year. But now couples face a new problem as they look toward their big day: supply chain issues. Tim Chi, CEO at The Knot, joined Cheddar to provide some additional details about the supply constraints affecting everything from venues to flowers. Chi also talked about The Knot celebrating its 25th anniversary and how the business has transformed over the years.
How To Attain 'Peak Mind'
Living in 2021 brings a lot of distractions from mindlessly scrolling down your timeline for hours, to stretching yourself thin by multi-tasking daily. How do we find the ability to train our brains to focus on being present in the moment? Author, Dr. Amishi Jha joined Cheddar to discuss her new book “Peak Mind,” that tackles these issues.
Load More