Lakers Announce Change to Arena for NBA Playoffs

This move, dubbed Courtside Reserve, introduces a new row of premium floor seats designed to maximize postseason revenue and enhance the VIP experience during the 2026 playoffs. Per the team's official press release, floor seats for the Lakers had been sold out for nearly 50 years, making this the first time new courtside inventory has been made available in decades. 

These expanding seats include exclusive amenities like in-seat dining and access to private clubs, but notably, they are not available for resale to maintain their extreme exclusivity.

The timing is practical. Courtside seats at Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center) have long been a major status symbol in sports. The Lakers built this celebrity-heavy identity during the "Showtime" era, and it still holds up today. Adding a second row of floor seats gives wealthy fans a chance to sit at court level that hasn't been available on the market for years.

For regular attendees, this creates a middle ground between the front row and the standard lower bowl. It includes full service, so fans can skip the usual concession lines.

The NBA playoffs start April 18, following the Play-In Tournament from April 14–17. It is still unclear if Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves will be healthy enough for Game 1. Doncic is currently in Europe seeking specialized treatment to speed up his recovery.

Second-year head coach JJ Redick has stated that playoff seeding is no longer the priority. Instead, the team is using these final games as a "health-management window" to ensure as many players as possible are ready for Game 1.

The Lakers, holding a 50–29 record, face the Golden State Warriors tonight at 10 p.m. ET. According to the NBA’s Basketball Power Index, the Houston Rockets and Denver Nuggets have nearly equal odds of finishing with the No. 4 seed alongside the Lakers. It remains unclear which team will ultimately drop to No. 5.