Lakers ink 20-year Staples Center lease extension

The Lakers have signed an extension with the Staples Center that will keep them at their home arena through 2041, per a team press release. Los Angeles has been at the Staples Center since the 1999-2000 season, when the team won its first title in more than a decade. The news was first reported by David Wharton at the Los Angeles Times.

The club has won six titles during its tenure at the Staples Center, including the pandemic-truncated 2019/20 season. The press release notes that LA has nabbed regular season (987-780) and playoff (139-79) records during its 22 years at Staples Center.

“We are excited to extend our partnership with [Staples Center owner] AEG,” said team owner Jeanie Buss in a statement. “Staples Center ranks as one of the best arenas in the world to play and watch basketball and we are thrilled to be able to call it home for another two decades.”

The Lakers press release also indicated that LA and AEG intend to make serious renovations to the arena. Wharton’s sources noted that another reason behind the Lakers franchise sticking around was that it wanted to remain in downtown LA.

This is a big get for the Staples Center, especially as the Lakers’ NBA co-tenants, the Clippers, continue to plan their likely exit to a new Inglewood arena within the next few years.