People come from all over the globe to go to games in downtown Los Angeles’ Staples Center. This arena, which was opened in 1999, cost more than $300 million to build. The Staples Center is named for Staples Inc., which is a chain of stores that sells office supplies.

Many teams, both professional and minor leagues, call the Staples Center home. Those teams include the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA, the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA, the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League, the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL and the Los Angeles Avengers of the AFL.

Each year, there are nearly 300 events that take place in the Staples Centers, which draws nearly five million people through their gates. Everything from tennis tournaments to the Democratic National Convention and from a Bruce Springsteen music concert to the Grammy Awards has taken place in the Staples Center.

This arena is famous for having some of the most luxurious suites of any arena in the United States. With more than 150 suites on three levels, many people point to this arena as a reason why suites have become so popular within arenas. All told, Staples Center holds around 20,000 people per event. While most of the seats are located in the lower bowl, the upper bowl does consist of about one-third of the seating capacity.

Outside of Staples Center are two statues of prominent athletes in Los Angeles history – Magic Johnson and Wayne Gretzky. Johnson was a star point guard for the Lakers, while Gretzky was a hockey star for the Kings.

Since the Staples Center is located in downtown Los Angeles, it’s convenient to stay at a downtown hotel if you are coming into Los Angeles to attend a game. However, you might find more luxurious accommodations west of downtown in the Beverly Hills, West Hollywood or Century City areas.