Best Seats At Crypto.com Arena
Crypto.com Arena — Staples Center to anyone who was here before 2021, and still to most locals — has been the center of gravity for downtown LA since it opened in 1999. Kobe built a legacy on this floor, the Kings won two Stanley Cups here, and it has hosted the Grammys more than any venue in the show’s history. It’s also aging in reverse: a four-year, nine-figure renovation wrapped ahead of the 2025-26 season, adding a massive new center-hung scoreboard, the indoor-outdoor City View Terrace, and top-to-bottom club refreshes.
Keep in mind, this that this is a premium, celebrity-adjacent building in the most expensive sports market in the country, so nothing here is cheap. The good news is the bones are excellent — there are very few genuinely bad seats, and knowing a handful of quirks saves you real money.
Seating Overview
The building does three completely different jobs — Lakers basketball, Kings hockey, and one of the busiest concert calendars in the world — and the “best” seat swaps depending on which one you’re there for. Two-thirds of the seating sits in the lower bowl, so proximity is easy to find; the harder call is angle versus price. One buyer-beware quirk before you spend: many lower-bowl sideline sections have lettered rows (A, B, C on up) before Row 1, which means a ticket that says “Row 1” can actually be a dozen-plus rows back. Check the section’s row map before you assume you’re on the floor.
Best Non-Premium Seats
The 100 Level sideline between the baskets (roughly the 106–108 and 115–117 range) is the sharp pick for basketball. This is the broadcast angle — you see plays develop across the whole floor without swinging your head, and you’re close enough to feel the speed. The tradeoff is simple: it’s the most expensive non-premium real estate in the building.
The lower behind-the-basket sections (the 101–103 and 118–120 range) get you into the 100 Level for less, and you’re close to the tunnel and bench end where the pre-game and huddle energy lives. You’ll lose some detail on plays at the far basket, which is the price of the discount.
For hockey, the pick flips to the lower level along the long side of the rink (the 101–105 and 117–121 range). From the blue-line perspective you can track the puck through both zones without the whiplash you get from a behind-the-net seat. Hockey rewards the long-side view more than almost any sport, so this is where Kings regulars sit.
Best Value Seats
The 200 Level center (the 207–210 and 214–218 range) is the smart-money seat in the building, and it’s not close. You’re elevated enough to read defensive rotations and spacing in basketball and to follow the puck end-to-end in hockey, but you’re paying a fraction of what the comparable lower-bowl center seats cost. The only thing you give up is the low-bowl intimacy — you won’t feel the physicality the same way. For hockey specifically, plenty of people who’ve sat both actually prefer this height.
Cheapest Way In
The 300 Level upper deck is your floor-price option, and the center sections along the sidelines and long side of the ice hold up better than the price suggests — the arena was designed with steep, clean upper-level sightlines. The move up here is to sit dead-center and steer clear of the sections directly behind the baskets or nets, where the angle flattens and you lose depth on the near end. The other honest downsides: you’re a long way from the floor, and you should avoid the very last few rows, where the ceiling slopes down and it gets cramped, especially if you’re tall. For basketball the scoreboard becomes your friend for replays; for hockey the height genuinely helps you see plays form.
Best Seats for Concerts
For most end-stage shows, the lower 100-level sections angled toward the stage (around the 111–112 and 118–119 area) hit the sweet spot — a clean line to the stage without the front-row markup. If those are out of budget, the 200 Level is the concert value play: you’re often at the same height as premium areas without paying for perks you won’t use at a show. What to steer clear of is anything tucked behind or hard beside the stage in the upper corners — the video screens disappear and the sound goes muddy. Because seating maps are redrawn for every concert configuration, always pull up the specific event’s chart before buying.
Our Pick
If you only take one piece of advice: grab a center section in the 200 Level (the 207–210 or 214–218 range). It’s the seat that works for basketball, hockey, and concerts alike, the sightlines are honestly excellent, and you’ll spend meaningfully less than the lower bowl for maybe ten percent less experience.
What to Avoid (and What’s Worth Trying Once)
The upper-corner and behind-stage sections for concerts are the clearest “don’t” — obstructed stage views and dead sound. The final rows of the 300 Level are the other one, purely for the ceiling slope and the distance. But there’s one seat worth doing once even though it’s not the best view in the house: courtside or premium-glass. You’re too low to see over players and half the floor feels far away, so it’s genuinely worse for actually watching the game — but you can hear the players, you’re on the celebrity side of the building, and it’s an experience you’ll remember long after you’ve forgotten a better sightline.
Premium Seating Options
This is a premium building by design, and the recent renovation touched nearly every club in it. The layout is easy to map once you know the levels: the exclusive stuff is on the Event Level, the club and suite lounges stack on Suite Levels A through C, and there’s a tier of club seats wrapping between the lower and upper bowls. Here’s how the spaces actually differ.
The Best Premium Experience
The Delta SKY360° Club on the Event Level is the top of the pyramid, and it’s the only club that’s genuinely all-inclusive. Access is limited to Premium Glass and Courtside seat holders, and it comes with unlimited premium bar service and a rotating chef-driven menu built into the ticket price — not à la carte like the others. The renovation added new seating areas with fireplaces, and this is where the courtside crowd and their famous friends post up before tip-off and during breaks. If money’s no object, this is the one.
Best Value Premium
The club-seat tier that wraps between the lower and upper bowls — the low-numbered “Premier”-style sections — is the premium call a friend who goes regularly would actually make. You get a dedicated VIP entrance that skips the general lines, in-seat food and drink ordering through the app, and access to the Yaamava’ Club by San Manuel, an all-inclusive buffet-and-bar lounge on Suite Level A that was refreshed for this season. You’re paying well below courtside for most of what makes courtside great — the entrance alone saves you twenty to thirty minutes on a big Lakers night, and you never have to leave your seat to eat. Corner club seats price better than center if you’re weighing it.
Other Premium Options
The Lexus Club (Suite Level A) was renovated and expanded, and it’s the elegant-dining option — three spaces (Legacy Lounge, Chef’s Room, and The Point), multiple bars, seated à la carte dining, and a private patio overlooking L.A. Live. The Hyde Lounge (Suite Level C) goes the opposite direction: a 4,000-square-foot ultra-lounge with bottle service, ledge seating, and LA nightclub energy for people who want the scene as much as the game. The Amex Lounge (Suite Level B) is the sleeper — American Express Platinum and Centurion cardholders get in with just the card, no special ticket required, plus a couple of complimentary drinks and a statement credit on concessions if you enroll. And courtside and premium-glass seats deliver the Delta SKY360° access and the you’re-on-TV proximity, if you’ve read the sightline tradeoff above and still want it.
Suites & Group Options
The arena carries 160-plus suites spread across Suite Levels A, B, and C, ranging from smaller boxes to the larger Champions and event suites, and they’re the move for corporate entertaining or a group that wants a private room with catering flexibility. Pricing swings hard by tenant and opponent — a Kings night is a different animal than a marquee Lakers game or a hot concert — and suites generally include VIP parking passes. Book through the arena’s premium sales team.
Crypto.com Arena Seating Chart and Capacity
Crypto.com Arena sits at 1111 S. Figueroa St. in downtown LA, wedged into the L.A. Live complex next to the Convention Center. The seating is split across six levels, with two-thirds of it in the lower bowl close to the action. Capacity shifts by event: roughly 19,000 for basketball, about 18,100 for hockey, and up to around 20,000 for concerts, with Sparks games configured smaller at about 12,800. For the exact section-by-section view for your event, pull the official interactive chart on the arena’s site, since concert layouts in particular change show to show.
For detailed seating information, check the updated seating chart for Lakers games and the seating chart for LA Kings Hockey.
How to Get Tickets
Demand here is tenant-driven. Lakers games carry the highest prices in the building, and marquee opponents — Celtics, Warriors, a returning star — spike hard, so the secondary market often beats face value on the non-marquee nights when season-ticket holders dump inventory. Kings games are consistently more affordable across every level, and Sparks games are the cheapest way to see the building at all. For concerts, big names sell out fast at on-sale, so set alerts and be ready.
Whatever you’re chasing, you can check out ticket prices for all events through our partner at Vivid Seats. They should have good inventory for Lakers, Kings, Concerts, etc.
Upcoming Events
This arena is one of the busiest in the country. Here is the upcoming events page to help you keep track of what is on tap at Crypto.com arena
Crypto.com Arena Bag Policy
This is one of the strictest bag policies in major sports, so read it before you leave home. All bags are banned — every backpack, purse, tote, fanny pack, and camera bag, and yes, even the clear bags that most stadiums now require are prohibited here. The only thing that comes in is a small clutch or wallet smaller than 5″ x 9″ x 1″, plus medical and parental bags smaller than 14″ x 14″ x 6″ that go through an X-ray screen.
There’s no clutch-with-a-strap loophole and no clear-bag workaround — if it’s bigger than that wallet size, it’s not getting in. If you show up with something bigger, you’re not stuck: Binbox lockers next to the Kobe Bryant Entrance (by the LA Kings Monument at Chick Hearn Plaza and Georgia Street) rent from about $15 through the app — cashless, like everything else here. One unopened plastic water bottle up to a liter is allowed in.
Key Venue Policies
Screening runs on Evolv Express walk-through tech, which means you can usually keep your phone, keys, and wallet on you and just walk through — no bin, no emptying pockets, unless security flags you for a secondary check. The prohibited list is long and worth scanning: weapons of any kind, laser pointers, glow sticks, professional cameras with detachable or telephoto lenses, GoPros, selfie sticks, tablets, and laptops all stay home. Personal binoculars are fine, and small signs supporting your team are generally allowed. One nice surprise most arenas don’t offer: re-entry is permitted — if you need to step out, find a Guest Services team member to scan your ticket, then come back through security. Just note there’s no coat check, so plan your layers around a building you can’t stash a bag in.
Fully cashless venue. Every transaction inside, from a beer to a hot dog to merch to a locker rental, runs on debit, credit, or mobile pay like Apple Pay and Google Pay. There’s no cash accepted anywhere, so don’t plan on paying with bills and don’t count on converting cash inside — come with a card or a phone that’s set up to tap.
Accessibility: The arena offers ADA and companion seating on every level, elevator access between concourses, accessible entrances, and mobility assistance on request. Wheelchair-accessible and companion seats can be booked through the box office or the team, and it’s worth arranging ahead for busy events. Full details live on the arena’s accessibility guide.
For an updated list of all policies check out the arena website.
Getting to Crypto.Com Arena
Downtown LA is one of the rare parts of the city where you genuinely don’t need a car, and the arena sits right on top of the best transit connections in the region. Take the train if you can.
Metro Rail (Best Option)
The Metro A and E Lines both stop at Pico Station, one block from the door — a two-to-three-minute walk. Fare is $1.75 one-way on a TAP card, and the smart move is loading round-trip fare before the event so you’re not stuck in a machine line with everyone else afterward. If you’re coming from another part of the system, the D Line (and the B Line) hit 7th Street/Metro Center, a larger station about a fifteen-minute walk south — sometimes worth the extra walk because it handles post-event crowds better than Pico, which jams up fast when 18,000 people leave at once. You’ll still move faster than anyone sitting in a garage on Figueroa.
Rideshare
Uber and Lyft use two designated white zones steps from the entrances — the Chick Hearn Court zone (eastbound, between L.A. Live Way and Georgia St.) and the Figueroa Street zone (southbound, between 12th St. and Pico). LAPD enforces the “No Stopping” signs everywhere else in the district, so don’t have your driver freelance a curb. Pre-game pricing is normal; post-game surge is brutal and the waits stack when everyone requests at the same second. The hack is to not open the app the instant the buzzer sounds — walk a few blocks out, or grab a drink at L.A. Live and let the rush clear. Hotel lobbies like the JW Marriott make calmer pickup points away from the chaos.
Crypto.com Arena Parking
If you must drive, the L.A. Live structures just north of the arena run around a $40 flat rate, and the arena’s official lots land in the $30-50 range depending on the event. The West Garage (Lot W) is the value play among the official options — a flat rate with no validation needed, Gate B opening 3½ hours before the event off Chick Hearn Court, so you can arrive early and leave whenever. For a faster escape, the West Garage and the L.A. Convention Center structures feed you toward the 110 and 10 freeways, which can shave a half hour off the surface-street crawl that swallows everyone dumping onto Figueroa after a Lakers game.
The real savings are off-site: more than 10,000 privately run spaces sit within a seven-to-ten-minute walk, and booking ahead on an app like SpotHero or ParkWhiz routinely lands covered parking for $15-20 instead of $40-plus. The lots on the streets just west of the arena toward the 110 tend to run cheapest. Note that tailgating is prohibited and LAPD enforces it, so pre-game happens in the bars, not the lots. Honest take: parking costs as much as four round-trip Metro fares and you’ll sit in postgame traffic regardless, so unless you’re coming from a transit dead zone, the train wins.
Crypto.com Arena Insider Tips
A night here is as much about the building and the neighborhood as the game itself — this is a place with 25-plus years of history layered into every corner, freshly renovated for its anniversary, and wrapped inside the L.A. LIVE entertainment district. Here’s what separates the regulars from the first-timers.
Signature Feature: Star Plaza & the Legends
Show up early just to walk Star Plaza. The statue garden out front honors the pantheon of LA sports — Kobe (a statue of him with his daughter Gianna), Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Wayne Gretzky, Oscar De La Hoya, and more. It’s the signature photo, best shot before you head in while the light’s good and the crowd’s thin.
Look up at what the renovation added. The arena wrapped a three-phase, nine-figure overhaul in 2024 for its 25th anniversary — a massive new Daktronics center-hung scoreboard worth craning your neck at, plus the indoor-outdoor City View Terrace with downtown skyline views that simply didn’t exist a few years ago.
Traditions & Culture: Celebrity Row and an Organic Crowd
Know that the vibe is Hollywood-cool, not manufactured. Unlike arenas that pipe a hype man through the speakers, a Lakers crowd runs on its own energy — knowledgeable, spontaneous, and quick to start a chant when the moment earns it. It can read as quiet on TV; in person it’s a different, more grown-up kind of loud.
Scan the scorer’s-table end for celebrity row. Courtside on that side is the traditional celebrity seating (Jack Nicholson’s legendary seat lives there, though he’s rare now), and the premium clubs are where famous faces wait out pregame and halftime. Be respectful with the phone — arena security doesn’t play about it.
Take in the banners. The home teams hang 22 championship banners between them — the Showtime and Kobe-era Lakers history is the reason half the building feels like a museum.
For a Kings game, it’s a different animal. Hockey nights bring the goal horn, the “Go Kings Go” chant, and a rowdier, more participatory crowd than a typical Lakers evening.
First-Timer Must-Do
Stand at the Kobe and Gianna statue before you go in. Of everything in Star Plaza, this is the one that stops people in their tracks. Give it a few minutes — it’s the emotional center of the whole building and the single most “you were here” moment of the night.
Arrival Strategy & Best Entrances
Skip Star Plaza as an entrance and use the Kobe Bryant Entrance. It’s at Chick Hearn Court (formerly 11th Street) and Georgia Street on the far side of the building. Everyone funnels to the Instagram-famous plaza, so lines there run 20 to 30 minutes on big nights while the Kobe entrance stays shorter because out-of-towners don’t know it.
Give yourself real cushion — doors open 90 minutes before tip-off. (Two hours for suite and premier holders.) With strict screening, 30 to 40 minutes of buffer is the difference between a relaxed beer and a sprint to your seat.
Premium and suite holders have their own doors. There’s a dedicated Southwest VIP entry for premium guests, and American Express cardholders get a dedicated card-member entrance (more on Amex perks below).
Tickets & the Arena App
Download the AXS app and sign in before you leave home. Crypto.com Arena only scans tickets from an approved app — screenshots and printed QR codes are rejected, and the code rotates, so a screenshot will fail at the gate. Cell service at the doors can crawl, so do this on your couch, not in line.
Transfer tickets to your group before the event. Everyone can then walk in on their own phone instead of clustering at one gate.
Don’t bother with the “Crypto.com Arena” app unless you’re a premium member. That app’s best features — mobile food ordering, dining reservations, the interactive map — are built around premium seating. For a regular ticket, plain AXS is all you actually need.
Food & Drink Strategy
The food here punches way above arena standard — plan around it. The fuku fried chicken sandwich by David Chang, over on the City View Terrace, is genuinely restaurant-quality, not “good for a stadium.”
Michelin-starred chef Ludo Lefebvre runs three stands. LudoBird (Provençal fried chicken, a fan favorite since 2013), Ludobab (Mediterranean pita), and Trois Familia (his French-Mexican concept). For more LA flavor, Kogi BBQ and Dirt Dog’s elote dog are worth the detour.
Doritos After Dark is a fun once. The world’s first brick-and-mortar Doritos restaurant is pure gimmick — genuinely enjoyable one time, roughly $8 to $22, off the main plaza and accessible from inside with a ticket.
Beat the lines at the cashierless grab-and-go markets. The Amazon “Just Walk Out” markets on the concourse — the Bud Light Seltzer and Michelob Ultra markets, plus the new L.A. Cooler Shop — let you tap a card at the gate, grab a drink, and walk out with no register. You’re through in under two minutes while the regular stands are fifteen deep.
Time your snack run for the last 60 to 90 seconds of a quarter or period. You beat the intermission stampede and you’re back before play resumes, instead of standing fifteen deep and missing the next tip.
Come with a card — it’s a fully cashless building. Credit, debit, Apple Pay, and Google Pay all work; cash does not.
Amex Cardholder Perks
If you carry Amex Platinum or Centurion, use the lounge. The reimagined Amex Lounge opens when general doors open and runs on first-come, space-limited access — check in early. Expect two complimentary drinks, and Platinum holders can bring one guest; you’ll need the physical card plus photo ID.
Enroll for the 10% statement credit. American Express is the arena’s official payment partner, and enrolled cardholders get a 10% credit back on spend plus access to the dedicated Amex entrance — a real line-skip if it’s your card.
Merch: The TEAM LA Store
Shop the TEAM LA store on Chick Hearn Court — no ticket needed most days. It sits next to the Administration Office Tower and carries the largest licensed selection for the Lakers, Kings, Galaxy, and Sparks. Open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Beat the event-day cutoff. On game days the store closes 90 minutes before doors open, and during weekend doubleheaders it’s closed entirely to non-ticketed guests — so shop well ahead, and don’t park on Chick Hearn Court (it’s a no-parking street; use Lot W).
Families & Kids
Use a parental bag under 14″ x 14″ x 6″ as your diaper-bag path. Regular bags aren’t allowed, but a parental bag that size clears X-ray — the workaround most parents miss.
Know the age rules. Children two and under get in free on a lap; anyone three or older needs their own ticket and seat, and strollers get checked rather than brought to seats.
Hit Guest Services for free earplugs. The centers (Main Concourse across from aisle M12, Upper Concourse across from aisle U6) handle lost-kid help and seating questions, and the free earplugs are genuinely clutch for little ears at a loud playoff crowd or concert.
Aim for the 200 Level with kids. Good sightlines, less rowdy than the lower bowl, and easier bathroom and concession runs.
Autographs & Player Access
Get there early — it’s the single most underused move in the building. Section access isn’t strictly enforced until right before the game, so even with a 300-level ticket you can walk straight down to the glass during warmups for photos and a real shot at an autograph or a wave.
Position at the lower-bowl tunnel ends where players enter and exit. That’s your best geography for a signature.
Bank your close-ups before the game — the postgame window is shut. Once the final buzzer sounds, ushers lock section access down hard, and you won’t stroll into the lower bowl for a postgame photo without a ticket for those seats.
Exit Strategy
Let the bottleneck breathe if you’re not racing anywhere. Pico Station and Chick Hearn Court both jam the moment an event ends — 20 minutes at a nearby bar erases the worst of it and drops you into a half-empty station.
In a rush, walk to 7th St/Metro Center instead. It’s a short walk and skips the crush at Pico. For rideshare, get clear of the immediate intersection (pickup zones run along Figueroa and Chick Hearn) before you request.
Venue-Specific Quirks
Expect a reusable cup. As part of the renovation, the arena expanded an r.World reusable-cup program, so some drinks come in a returnable cup rather than disposable — not a catch, just don’t toss it out of habit.
There’s no re-entry. Once you leave, you’re out for the night — plan smoke breaks and car runs accordingly.
Things to Do Near Crypto.com Arena
If you’ve got time in downtown before or after, the neighborhood delivers. Check out the architecture at Union Station. The GRAMMY Museum is right there at L.A. Live. A few blocks out, The Broad (contemporary art, free general admission but reserve ahead), the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and Grand Central Market for a serious food-hall crawl are all worth an afternoon. Farther afield, The Last Bookstore in an old bank building and the history of Olvera Street round out a full day in the city.
Bars and Restaurants Near The Arena
Pregame here is L.A. Live, the entertainment complex fused to the arena — you can walk from your seat to any of it in five minutes, and on event nights it’s a churn of jerseys, tourists, and after-work groups. It’s built for exactly this, which is both its charm and its crowd problem.
Best Pregame & Postgame Bars
Yard House at L.A. Live is the default — 100-plus taps, dozens of TVs, big shareable plates, and it opens late-morning so you can post up hours early. Tom’s Watch Bar is the reliable overflow when Yard House is packed, wall-to-wall screens and late hours. Level 8, up on the rooftop of the Moxy across the street, is a taco bar with arena views that’s cheaper, faster, and cooler than waiting 45 minutes for a table at the complex.
33 Taps on Figueroa (in the base of the Moxy/AC Hotel, across from the arena) is the less-touristy, better-priced local option, and its happy hour is the pregame money-saver — $5 beers weekdays from 3 to 7 p.m. and again late-night from 9:30, which beats arena drink prices by a mile. And the Glance Lobby Bar inside the JW Marriott is the move for an upscale-but-relaxed drink and a quiet rideshare pickup away from the crush.
Best Restaurants in the Area
Sol Agave at L.A. Live does a big tequila list and reliable Mexican, and it takes reservations, which is clutch on a game night. Fixins Soul Kitchen is the spot when you want an actual meal — elevated soul food rather than bar snacks. Katsuya at L.A. Live covers the upscale-sushi craving right in the complex. For a broader taste of the city while you’re down here, Grand Central Market a short ride north is the best single food destination in downtown.
Hotels Near Crypto.Com Arena
Downtown LA is the obvious base — you can walk to the arena from most of the district’s hotels, and staying here means you skip the drive and the parking entirely. Gameday nights don’t sell out downtown the way a college football Saturday would, but a hot concert or a marquee Lakers game tightens things up, so book a couple of weeks out for those.
Best Areas to Stay
L.A. Live / South Park, the blocks immediately around the arena, is the no-brainer for walkability — you’re steps from your seat and the pregame bars. The Financial District, a short walk or quick ride north, trades a bit of distance for more hotel variety and a quieter base. Both put you in easy Metro range, and both let you leave the car parked all night.
Hotel Recommendations
The Front-Row Pick — JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE: connected to the complex and about as close as a hotel gets to the arena, with the trade-off being peak-LA pricing. The Splurge — The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles: shares the tower with the JW Marriott and delivers the refined, top-tier stay. The Character Play — Hotel Figueroa: a historic, design-forward spot within walking distance with more personality than the chains.
The View — InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown: a high-rise with genuinely stunning city views a bit north in the district. The Home Base — Residence Inn Los Angeles L.A. LIVE: suite-style rooms for a longer stay or a family, right by the arena. The Icon — The Westin Bonaventure: the mirrored-cylinder landmark, walkable and full of LA-in-the-movies character.
Budget Options
Hotel Indigo Los Angeles Downtown is the stylish-for-less pick, modern and central without the L.A. Live markup. The Mayfair Hotel leans historic-budget and sits a short ride (or a walkable-in-daylight stroll) from the arena — good value, just be aware of your surroundings walking at night.
Why You Should Go
Crypto.com Arena is one of the few venues where the history, the location, and the building all pull their weight — you’re watching a game in the room where Kobe and Shaq played and the Kings won Cups, in a freshly renovated arena, wrapped in a walkable entertainment district with world-class food inside the gates. It’s not cheap, and the premium, see-and-be-seen energy isn’t everyone’s thing. But the sightlines are honest, there are almost no bad seats, and for a Lakers night, a Kings game, or a big concert, few places in the country deliver the whole package like this one.
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Written by Brad Richards. Founder of Gameday Guides. This guide includes insights from personal visits as well as updated info from team sources, fan forums, and stadium policies. We aim to help you plan with confidence — enjoy your gameday. If you have any tips, if we missed anything or you have a question, don’t hesitate to shoot us an email.