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."
Carlo and Baker discuss what is happening in Texas, where 3 million people are going on two days without any power or heat. Also, Biden ups the ante on vaccines, Bitcoin is going crazy and Chinese consumers are going back to the movies.
This platform has you covered with content on four important areas of personal wellness: physical activity, nutrition, sleep and mindfulness.
Cheddar explains why American homes are so flimsy - and the history that made them this way.
A winter storm that left millions without power in record-breaking cold weather has claimed more lives.
The weather is miserable pretty much everywhere. Here's the latest on the deep freeze that took out Texas' power grid, the continuing case for COVID optimism, and more.
From Wall Street to Silicon Valley, these are the top stories that moved markets and had investors, business leaders, and entrepreneurs talking this week on Cheddar.
Kevin Cohee, CEO of the largest Black-owned bank in the U.S. OneUnited, talked to Cheddar about its #OneTransaction campaign to help Black Americans build net worth to close the wealth gap.
Amazon is facing the biggest unionization push in its history. And it’s happening in the unlikeliest of places: Alabama, a state with laws that don’t favor unions.
Jill is joined by Baker Machado to talk about Dr. Fauci's new prediction for when most Americans should be able to get the COVID vaccine. Plus, it's the defense's turn in the impeachment trial, Bumble goes public, and Taylor Swift rerecords her music. So, how does it sound? Baker's got the scoop.
Bumble, known for letting female users make the first move, opened on the Nasdaq at $76 per share on Thursday afternoon.
