Why Shaquille O'Neal is 'glad' the Staples Center is changing name to Crypto.com Arena

Part of it is that O'Neal doesn't think the current Lakers are worth seeing at the arena

On Christmas Day, the Staples Center will officially become Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal has no problem with the change.

On a recent episode of the Big Podcast with Shaq, O'Neal revealed that he's ready for the name change because Staples Center will always "belong" to himself and the late Kobe Bryant.

"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," O'Neal said. "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 belong to Shaq and Kobe, forever."

But O'Neal then took it a step further and stated that he doesn't believe that the current Lakers are worth seeing at the iconic arena.

"I'm not even going, I'm not even going anymore," O'Neal added. "Who wanna watch them people play? I don't celebrate 7th place, at all. I celebrate Steph Curry, that's who I celebrate. And I go to Golden State and watch them play."

Staples Center has seen its fair share of champions since opening its doors back in 1999. The Lakers won five NBA titles while calling it home. The franchise actually won six, but the sixth title was won in the bubble at Disney World in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Los Angeles Kings also won a pair of Stanley Cups in the building, while the Los Angeles Sparks won three titles at the Staples Center. In November, the iconic arena announced the largest naming rights deal in sports history, which was for $700 million over the next 20 years.