The Los Angeles Lakers will soon be playing in Crypto.com Arena, the new name for the building once called Staples Center.
Crypto.com, a crypto exchange company based in Singapore, agreed to a $700 million naming rights deal to have the iconic building undergo a name change. Staples Center had been the building’s name since 1999.
READ: Crypto.com CMO says people resist change about still calling arena Staples Center
There have been plenty of negative reactions to the move, but Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal had a different perspective.
Shaq explained why he’s happy about the name change on an episode of “The Big Podcast” (h/t: LakersNation.com):
“It was a blessing to be able to play in that building. To play in front of my favorite actors and actresses, to play in front of my family, score 61 points on my birthday, win championships, three in a row for the city. I’m glad they’re taking the name of the Staples Center down because that was our building. Congratulations to the owners for getting a new deal, but, hey, the Staples Center belongs to Shaq and Kobe forever.”
Of course, Shaq and Kobe led the Lakers to a three-peat from 2000 to 2002, which is one of the memorable eras the franchise that is rich in history has had.
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