Shaquille O’Neal, in his recent podcast, reacted to Staples Center being renamed in crypto.com Arena. The ex-Lakers star believes Staples will forever be associated with him and Kobe Bryant
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The news about Staples Center being renamed hit the fans out of nowhere. From the reactions of players, it is clear that no one was thrilled about playing in the “crypto.com” Arena. The official renaming will take place on 24th December.
Staples Center witnessed history being made several times over the years and Lakers fans’ not ready to let that go. They watched Kobe Bryant get his revenge over Boston Celtics for the 2008 finals loss. The Mamba scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors at home, the second-most in league history.
One of the greatest duos in NBA history, Shaq and Kobe won 3 championships in a row after Staples Center opened in 1999. However, the two split up soon after that due to some differences. The center left Los Angeles Lakers after two unsuccessful playoffs stints for Miami Heat. But they made up years later and had a good relationship before the tragic death of Kobe Bryant in 2020.
Shaq feels blessed for getting an opportunity to play in Staples Center
Shaquille O’Neal is possibly the only player who has expressed joy over the name change to crypto.com arena. He believes this way Staples will forever be linked to Kobe’s greatness and the duo’s achievements.
The 4x champion recounted his fondest memory in the Lakers home arena on his podcast. He said, “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.”
Shaq on the Staples Center name change 👀 pic.twitter.com/1PqLdgD1N0
— Kobe Highlights & Motivation (@kobehighlight) December 9, 2021
This generation of NBA players grew up watching Kobe Bryant ascent to greatness in Staples Center. LA residents like Paul George and Russell Westbrook were not delighted by the renaming decision but at the end of the day, they know it’s business.
The triple-double king has countless memories of watching games in Staples center and the same goes for PG13. He was glad the LA Clippers were moving to their own arena soon.
