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Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles, California adjacent to the L.A. Live development. It is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex. Staples Center was financed privately at a cost of $375 Million and is named for the Staples office-supply company, one of the center's corporate sponsors that paid for naming rights.[1]
History
Staples Center opened on October 17, 1999, with a Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert, [2]and became a two-time winner of the Pollstar-CIC Arena of the Year award soon after.[3] It is home to the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA, the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, and the Los Angeles Avengers of the AFL.[4] It is the only arena that is home to five professional sports franchises.[4]
Outside the arena are statues of Wayne Gretzky and Magic Johnson, although both sports legends played at the Great Western Forum, where the Kings, Lakers and Sparks previously played.
Staples Center was named New Major Concert Venue (2000) and Arena of the Year (2000 and 2001) by Pollstar Magazine and has been nominated each year since its 1999 opening.[3]
The arena is host to 250 events and nearly 4,000,000 visitors a year.[3] Since its opening day, Staples Center has hosted the 2000 Democratic National Convention, the 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the 52nd NHL All-Star game, the 2004 NBA All-Star Game, the Pac-10 Basketball Finals since 2002, the WTA Tour Championships from 2002 to 2005, the first Latin Grammy Awards in 2000, the annual Grammy Awards since 2000 with the exception of 2003, the Summer X Games indoor competitions since 2003, the UFC 60 pay per view event, as well as numerous Concerts and HBO Championship Boxing matches.[3]
In addition to hosting the attendance record setting WrestleMania 21 in 2005, Staples Center has also hosted Unforgiven 2002, Judgment Day 2004, and No Way Out 2007 as well as other World Wrestling Entertainment events.[4]
The arena
Staples Center measures 950,000 square feet (88,257.9 m2) of total space, with a 94-foot (28.7 m) by 200-foot (61.0 m) arena floor. It stands 150 feet (45.7 m) tall.[1]. The arena seats up to 20,000 for concerts, 18,997 for basketball, and 18,118 for hockey and arena football.[3] Two-thirds of the arena's seating, including 2,500 club seats, are in the lower bowl. There are also 160 luxury suites, including 15 event suites, on three levels between the lower and upper bowls.[1] The arena's attendance record is held by WWE WrestleMania 21 with a crowd of 20,193 set on April 3, 2005.[5]
Future developments
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Staples Center as seen from L.A. Live Plaza
Staples Center is only a part of a much larger 4,000,000-square-foot (371,612.2 m2) development by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) adjoining Staples Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center. The development, known as L.A. Live, broke ground on September 15, 2005. L.A. Live is designed to offer entertainment, retail and residential programming in the downtown Los Angeles area.[6][7]
Film and TV
See also
References
External links
Coordinates: 34°2'35.01?N 118°16'1.64?W? / ?34.0430583, -118.2671222
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1The Philadelphia Soul play Sunday home games at the Wachovia Center.
2The Philadelphia Soul play Saturday home games at the Wachovia Spectrum. |
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