The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena opened on July 4, 1959, in Exposition Park, just south of the University of Southern California campus. Designed by architect Welton Becket and dedicated by Vice President Richard Nixon, it was built as a modern companion venue to the adjacent Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, giving the city an indoor arena suited for basketball, hockey, boxing, and large public gatherings.
Over nearly six decades, the Sports Arena served as an early home for Los Angeles’s biggest sports franchises, including the Lakers and the Clippers, while also hosting conventions, concerts, and Olympic boxing. After USC moved its basketball program out and newer facilities drew away tenants, the aging arena was closed in March 2016 and demolished later that year, clearing the site for what became BMO Stadium.
- Los Angeles Clippers played here 1984–1999. See every Clippers arena →
- Los Angeles Kings played here 1967. See every Kings arena →
- Los Angeles Lakers played here 1960–1967. See every Lakers arena →
Stats at a Glance
- Teams: Lakers (1960-1967), Kings (1967), Clippers (1984-1999), USC & UCLA Trojans/Bruins basketball
- Location: Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California
- Opened: July 4, 1959
- Demolished: 2016
- Capacity: About 16,161 for basketball
- Architect: Welton Becket
- Notable fact: Hosted the 1960 Democratic National Convention and boxing at the 1984 Olympics
A Hub for LA Sports and Politics
When it opened, the Sports Arena gave Los Angeles its first major indoor venue for professional basketball and hockey. The Lakers played there after relocating from Minneapolis in 1960, and the arena later hosted the Clippers, who relocated from San Diego, from 1984 to 1999. USC’s basketball team called it home for nearly 50 years, and UCLA’s Bruins played there in the early 1960s before Pauley Pavilion opened.
Beyond sports, the arena was a civic landmark. It hosted the 1960 Democratic National Convention, where John F. Kennedy won the presidential nomination, and later served as an Olympic boxing venue during the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
Closure and Legacy
By the 2010s, the Sports Arena had aged well past its competitors, and USC shifted its events to newer facilities. The building hosted its final events, including concerts by Bruce Springsteen, in March 2016 before closing and being torn down later that year.
The site was redeveloped into BMO Stadium, which opened in 2018 as the home of MLS club Los Angeles FC, continuing Exposition Park’s role as a center of LA sports.
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Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena FAQs
When did the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena open?
It opened on July 4, 1959, dedicated by Vice President Richard Nixon.
Which NBA teams played at the Sports Arena?
The Los Angeles Lakers played there from 1960 to 1967, and the Los Angeles Clippers were tenants from 1984 to 1999.
When was the Sports Arena demolished?
It closed in March 2016 and was demolished later that year to make way for what became BMO Stadium.
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Photo: Richard H. Kim / CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.