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."
Posting that photo of yourself next to your vaccination card on social media could potentially make you a target for people trying to steal your personal information.
Hairstylist to stars like eyoncé, Nicki Minaj, and Tyra Banks, Kim Kimble wants Black women to be able to embrace and maintain their natural looks.
More than three months into the U.S. vaccination drive, many of the numbers paint an increasingly encouraging picture.
Officials say a skyscraper-sized container ship has become wedged across Egypt’s Suez Canal and blocked all traffic in the vital waterway.
What we know about the suspect and the victims in the Boulder grocery store shooting. Also, Netanyahu holds a lead in the latest Israel election, Texas opens vaccine eligibility, and why Wall Street's top firms are trying to ease their infamous workloads.
A hefty tax benefit helped drive GameStop’s fiscal fourth-quarter profit sharply higher, but the video-game retailer’s sales declined despite a surge in its online business. The latest results fell short of Wall Street’s expectations.
Court documents show that the 21-year-old suspect in the Colorado supermarket shooting purchased an assault rifle less than a week before the attack that killed 10 people.
Prince Harry has joined the corporate world as employee coaching and mental health firm BetterUp Inc.’s Chief Impact Officer.
While the secondary market for NFTs isn't likely to garner the same headlines as multi-million dollar deals, experts agree the future of the crypto art market depends on more than one-off, high-profile purchases.
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sold his first tweet for more than $2.9 million. The tweet from 2006, which says “just setting up my twttr,” was bought by Bridge Oracle CEO Sina Estavi.
