Lakers at Staples Center: Theater of Champions

Official Review by Taylor Smith, Stadium Journey Correspondent

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The Staples Center in downtown L.A. has been home to the Lakers since 1999, and it has seen them win four NBA Championships in six appearances during that stretch.

The arena has helped revitalize downtown Los Angeles since its construction, and ushers in about 4,000,000 visitors per year for sports, concerts, and more.

The Lakers are obviously Staples Center’s most decorated tenant, and, on this night, they faced the no. 2 seed in the Western Conference at the time, the Utah Jazz.

Food & Beverage   5/5

Staples has a vast array of dining and drinking options on every level, including STAPLES Staples, Wetzel’s Pretzels, Camacho’s Cantina, Figueroa Bar, Harbor Bar, Budweiser Tap Room, Corner Grill, and many more.

The highlight for me (as I was seated in the upper concourse) was the City View Grill. It is an outdoor concession and bar area (located next to section 327) that offers an amazing view of downtown Los Angeles, along with enough seating to accommodate up to 500 people. The lines were never bad, and it was a great place to unwind during halftime as well as other breaks in the action.

Atmosphere   5/5

Obviously, as this was a playoff-level late-season game, the arena was buzzing all night long.

For Lakers games, the lights in the crowd are turned way down, presenting the court in a theater-like manner. I found that this was a great way to keep the focus in the arena almost entirely on the proceedings taking place on the court. The Lakers are obviously the building’s main attraction, and this presentation really made it seem like a proper center stage.

Other than that, the public address announcer (Lawrence Tanter) has a very smooth, mellow voice, making the experience seem more old-timey than some other basketball venues nowadays. There wasn’t too much blaring music, and most (if not all) of the music played during play came from an organ, also adding to the vintage feel.

Neighborhood   5/5

With the addition of the surrounding entertainment center “L.A. Live”, there is now plenty to keep you occupied in the hours before tipoff at Staples.

An ESPN Zone sits just across the street, as well as several other restaurants and bars, including Wolfgang Puck, Lawry’s Carvery, Rock’n Fish, Trader Vic’s, and Yard House.

The area also includes the Grammy Museum, a movie theater, a concert theater, and a bowling alley.

Fans   4/5

As is the case with fans for any team, many fans are knowledgeable and loyal, while many fans are there just to be there.

Each time Kobe Bryant went to the line, chants of, “MVP! MVP!” rang out, and, as is also the case in every NBA arena, nearly every call that did not go in the Lakers’ favor was greeted harshly by the crowd.

As L.A. fans are known for, I expected to see many empty seats prior to tipoff, but this was not the case. The building was packed to the rafters from well before the tip right up to the final buzzer, even though the final score was not particularly close.

The Lakers were 33-7 following this game at home for the season, and the fans are a major reason for that.

Access   5/5

Other than the massive amounts of rush hour traffic that had to be navigated to get into the downtown area, the arena itself was quite easy to get to and from.

There are parking lots seemingly everywhere around Staples Center and the L.A. Live complex, and we easily parked for $15 less than a half-mile from the arena.

Traffic leaving the game was not bad at all, and it took us no more than 15 minutes to walk from our seats to the car and hop right onto the freeway.

Return on Investment   4/5

While ticket prices may seem fairly high for Lakers games, basic economics explain it easily. The Lakers are the toughest ticket in town, and you’re going to have to pay in order to be a part of it.

However, once you get past that, it’s certainly one of the best fan experiences the NBA has to offer. The arena, despite having existed for 11 years now, is maintained extremely well and appears brand new.

There isn’t a bad seat in the house, the concessions and merchandise is all fairly priced, and, in all likelihood, you’re going to witness a Laker victory.

Extras   4/5

Staples Center’s atmosphere is the best I’ve experienced at a basketball game of any kind. While Warriors, Blazers, Jazz, and Knicks fans are notorious for their staunch support of their teams, the experience of watching the Lakers on the stage at Staples cannot be matched. The aforementioned court-only lighting gives the Lakers an almost-mystical aura while they’re playing, and it feels as though you’re watching a movie. The Staples Center perfectly captures the spectacle of Los Angeles and its most storied franchise, the Lakers.

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