Staples Center will be no more once December comes. According to ESPN, the famous arena in downtown Los Angeles will be known as Crypto.com beginning Christmas Day. Also on that day, the Lakers will host the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA’s annual Christmas slate.
The home to the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Kings, and Sparks will no longer carry the name of Staples, ending a 22-year run. Crypto.com is paying a reported $700 million over 20 years for the rights to name the building.
Crypto.com is a cryptocurrency platform and exchange headquartered in Singapore and has already dabbled in sports spending in the last year, buying batches on the Philadelphia 76ers jerseys and other sponsorship deals.
“It’s kind of like just stripping the history here by calling it something else,” said Clipper star Paul George.
Reggie Jackson would echo the sentiments. “[The Lakers] have their history here, Kobe, especially my era, growing up, watching those championships. Shaq [O’Neal]. Nah, it’s too many memories. It’s gonna be hard to not call it Staples.”
