History
Jack Kent Cooke built the Forum in 1967 to house his Lakers and expansion Kings, with a round design reminiscent of a Roman coliseum. It opened at the end of December 1967.
The Lakers won NBA titles there in 1982, 1987 and 1988; the arena also hosted the 1984 Olympic basketball tournament and the only Stanley Cup Final games ever held in the building, in 1993.
Both teams left for downtown's Staples Center in 1999. A church owned the building for roughly a decade, then Madison Square Garden Company renovated it as a music venue that reopened in 2014. It was added to the National Register that year, was sold to Clippers owner Steve Ballmer in 2020, and took the Kia Forum name in 2022.
Why it matters: The 'Fabulous Forum' was the Lakers' and Kings' home for 32 years and is a rare major-league arena of its era that survives and remains in active use.
Timeline
- July 1, 1966Groundbreaking[1]
Construction began on Jack Kent Cooke's arena.
- December 30, 1967
The Kings lost 2-0 to Philadelphia in the first game; the Lakers debuted the next night.
- 1984Olympic basketball[1]
The Forum hosted basketball at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
- May 23, 1999
A playoff loss to San Antonio was the Lakers' last game before moving to Staples Center; the Kings' last game followed in September 1999.
- 2000
Faithful Central Bible Church bought the building at the end of 2000.
- January 15, 2014
After Madison Square Garden Company's purchase and rehabilitation, the Forum reopened with Eagles concerts.
- September 24, 2014National Register listing[1]
The Forum was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- April 4, 2022Becomes the Kia Forum[1]
Kia acquired naming rights.
The site today
| Physical status | Standing, repurposed[1,2] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Operating concert and events arena (Kia Forum), owned by Steve Ballmer; no major-league sports tenant[1] |
| Mapped location | Approximate historic location |
Teams & events
| Los Angeles Kings | NHL · 1967–1999 |
|---|---|
| Los Angeles Lakers | NBA · 1967–1999 |
| Los Angeles Sparks | WNBA · 1997–2000 |
| Los Angeles Strings | WTT · 1975–1993 · tenant |
| Los Angeles Lazers | MISL · 1982–1989 · tenant |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Official name | Kia Forum |
|---|---|
| Other names | Great Western Forum (1988–2003); The Forum presented by Chase (2014–2022); Kia Forum (2022); The Fabulous Forum |
| Location | 3900 West Manchester Boulevard, Inglewood, Inglewood, California[1] |
| Venue type | Arena |
| Sports | Basketball, Hockey, Soccer, Boxing & wrestling, Tennis, Olympic venues |
| Level | NBA, NHL, WNBA, Olympic |
| Opened | December 30, 1967[1,2] |
| Physical status | Standing, repurposed[1,2] |
| Final capacity | 17,505[1] |
| Capacity notes | Wikipedia: 17,505 basketball and 16,005 hockey during the sports era; up to about 18,000 for concerts. |
| Architect | Charles Luckman Associates[1,2] |
| Construction cost | $16 million (1967)[1] |
| Owner / operator | Jack Kent Cooke (1967), Jerry Buss (1979), Faithful Central Bible Church (2000), MSG (2012), Steve Ballmer (2020-)[1,2] |
| Closure | Not closed. It ceased to be a major-league venue when the Lakers and Kings moved to Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena) in 1999. |
Documented details
Connected venues
Sources
- Kia Forum (Wikipedia), Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: address, architect, capacity, construction cost, coordinates, current land use, events, opened, owner operator, physical status, teams
- The Fabulous Forum: Successful Preservation of a Historic Sports Arena, Docomomo US. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: architect, opened, owner operator, physical status, teams
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
Where sources disagree (2)
- Sparks tenancy end: Wikipedia gives both 2000 and 2001.
- Renovation cost: Wikipedia infobox $76.5 million vs a $50 million plan cited in the text.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.