L.A. Sports Teams
When visiting LA, the sites of the city like Hollywood and Beverly Hills are a big draw to many. But here LA Insider Tours, we also get a lot of requests to see some of our more famous sports arenas like The Staples Center as well as Dodger Stadium. While LA hasn’t had a National Football League football team since the mid 90’s, our sports teams and arenas are still nationally and internationally famous.
Staples Center
Home to the LA Lakers, LA Sparks, LA Clippers and LA Kings, The Staples Center is a multipurpose sports arena in Downtown LA. Approximately 950,000 square feet with 20,000 seats, it is a part of a 4 million square foot development which also includes the LA Convention Center and LA Live.
The Staples center is probably the most well known as the arena where the Lakers play. One of the most successful teams in the history of the NBA, the LA Lakers have won 16 National Championships. Worth over $2 Billion dollars, the team is considered one of the most valuable franchises in the NBA. They have had what some considered to be the best men to play the game of basketball on their team including Wilt Chamberlin, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neill and, of course, Kobe Bryant.
Staples is also home to the the LA Kings Hockey team who have won 2 Stanley cups in the last decade. While they originally played at the Forum in El Segundo, they moved over to the Staples Center in 1999. Hockey greats Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille and Rob Blake have played for the Kings and in recent years they have become a winning franchise with a huge fan base.
Another great Staples team – the LA Sparks – have qualified for the WNBA playoffs in 14 of their 18 years in Los Angeles. The franchise has been home to many high-quality players such as Lisa Lesley, Candace Parker, flashy point guard Nikki Teasley and Tina Thompson. In 2001, 2002 and 2003, the Sparks went to the WNBA Finals. They won the title in 2001 and 2002.
Dodgers Stadium
The third oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball, Dodger stadium was constructed in 1959.Often referred to as a “pitcher’s ballpark”, the stadium has seen 11 no-hitters, two of which were perfect games. Home to major league baseball’s Dodgers (hence the name), who have won 6 World Series titles and 21 national league pennants. Originally known as the Brooklyn Dodgers, they were the first franchise to hire an African American baseball player. Jackie Robinson is also one of the first African American’s elected to the baseball Hall of Fame.
After moving from Brooklyn to Los Angeles in the 1950’s due to the fact that LA was willing to offer the owner what New York would not – land and a stadium worthy of the franchise – the Dodgers won their second world series in their 2nd year in California. Famous players such as Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Jackie Robinson, Duke Snyder, Greg Maddux, Pedro Martinez and Clayton Kershaw have been members of the team.
Home to the USC Trojans, The LA Coliseum is the largest football stadium in the Pac 12. The Coliseum is the first stadium to have hosted the Olympic Games twice, in 1932 and 1984. It has also hosted Super Bowls and World Series. Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1984 (right before the opening ceremonies of the Olympics!), the Coliseum has undergone many different renovations over the years. The Olympic Torch, which was built for the 2 Olympic games held in the Coliseum, still stands today and is still lit during USC Football games as well as various special occasions or in tribute to someone.
There are so many things to love about Los Angeles. Come explore it with us!