It was announced on Tuesday that Staples Center will now be named Crypto.com Arena.
The LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers’ home will be known as Crypto.com Arena starting December 25th, reportedly.
Nobody seems to be okay with this change to one of the most iconic arenas in basketball history.
it’ll always be called Staples Center idc
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) November 17, 2021
Even Paul George isn’t thrilled by the name change.
Paul George on Staples Center being renamed Crypto .com Arena:
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) November 17, 2021
"It'll definitely be weird. It's the same location but it's kind of like stripping the history here by calling it something else...Good thing we won't be here too long."pic.twitter.com/r2JPCtWDF2
Paul George is right to not approve of this name change to Staples Center.
I mean, Crypto.com Arena? Nobody is going to stop calling it Staples Center.
Imagine paying $700+ million for naming rights to an arena that will always be called Staples Center. https://t.co/5bUvom0Eli
— Matthew Moreno (@Matthew__Moreno) November 17, 2021
Calling it Crypto.com Arena just doesn’t scream the history of the place like calling it Staples Center does. It means a lot when PG, who grew up in Southern California, being mesmerized by the great arena, is even expressing this.
The good news for the Clippers is what George brought up, though, and that’s the fact that the team will be in the Intuit Dome by 2024. The Intuit Dome doesn’t have the history that Staples does, but it is going to be a much nicer arena with innovative technologies that aren’t found anywhere else in the NBA.
Steve Ballmer is going to install around twice as many toilets as any other arena, and creating a concession system where fans can get food without even talking to a human. He’s doing these things so that the fans can be in their seats as long as possible, and not have to wait in any lines. He’s also installing a ‘halo’ video screen with 44,000 square feet of LED lighting instead of just a jumbotron.
That being said, this new name change seems like it’s going to come with some renovations to Staples, according to Arash Markazi.
I’m told Staples Center will undergo a massive renovation following this record naming rights deal. AEG officials view this as Staples Center’s version of Madison Square Garden’s $1 billion renovation. Everything from the concourse to the seats to the concessions will be changed.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) November 17, 2021
Either way, we’ll be excited to move out and into the Intuit Dome, where we’ll be able to continue building on our new sense of identity.
We’ll be able to continue to do L.A. Our Way.