Staples Center to be renamed in massive rights deal

One of the most well-known arenas in pro sports is getting a new name.

Front Office Sports reported on Tuesday that Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. is set to be renamed for Crypto.com as part of a multi-year rights deal.

Shams Charania of The Athletic adds that the venue, which is home to the NBA’s Lakers and Clippers, the NHL’s Kings, and the WNBA’s Sparks, will be known as Crypto.com Arena beginning on Dec. 25. The deal is believed to be the largest U.S. venue naming rights deal to date, Charania adds.

Staples Center, which is owned by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), opened in 1999. In addition to the sports teams that it houses, the venue has also been a popular site for concerts and other entertainment events.

The deal is not the first cryptocurrency-related naming rights deal to hit a major arena. Earlier this year, the home arena of the NBA’s Miami Heat was renamed from the American Airlines Arena to the FTX Arena after the FTX crypto exchange. But as for this deal, there are many reasons why fans will always call the arena “Staples Center” no matter what it says on the outside.

Photo: Mar 11, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Exterior view of Staples Center before the game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Golden State Warriors . Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports