The L.A. Lakers star gifted Swift with
the banner on his home turf during the concert, which reads,
“Taylor Swift, Most Sold Out Performances”
for her record-setting 16 sold-out shows. Watch below.
Bryant pointed to the drop-down banner as fans screamed and before Swift hugged him in gratitude.
Swift took to Twitter to thank her fans, and Bryant, late Friday night with the caption, “Tonight @kobebryant surprised me with a banner in @STAPLESCenter for the most sold out shows. You did that. Love you.”
“My pleasure @taylorswift13 Keep breaking records and changing lives #1989TourLA,” Bryant tweeted in reply.
Ryan Tedder and One Republic also joined Swift on stage during the Los Angeles concert. Watch below.
Fans of pop music superstar Taylor Swift will have to wait some more before seeing their idol’s banner, given by the late great Kobe Bryant, on the rafters of Crypto.com Arena. This comes as officials of the venue continue to look for a more permanent place in the area to put it.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend surprised Swift with the congratulatory banner at Staples Center, the former name of Crypto.com Arena, on August 21, 2015, for the record-setting 16 sold-out shows she had in the place. The banner read “Taylor Swift, Most Sold Out Performances.”
The banner was up the rafters until it was put in storage in 2020 to give way for the 17th championship banner the Lakers won that year. It has not been put up since.
In a recent report by Arash Markazi of The Messenger, Crypto.com Arena officials still intend to display the banner “at some point in the future.” They are eyeing for it to take place when the LA Clippers, who also play in the venue, exit for their own arena and the current place undergoes a remodeling.
Crypto.com Arena president Lee Zeidman shared in the report:“We are going to look for a place to display it on the main concourse. We want to make it a photo-op where fans can take a picture with it.”
Interestingly, since being presented with the banner by Kobe Bryant, Swift has not played shows at the arena, choosing instead to play stadia in her recent concert tours.
The Staples Center was officially opened on October 17, 1999, and was known by that name until November 16, 2021, when it was changed to Crypto.com Arena, after the Singapore-based cryptocurrency company. The firm reportedly paid $700 million in the form of a 20-year deal to get the naming rights.
Kobe Bryant leads players whose jerseys are displayed at the rafters of Crypto.com Arena
Five-time Los Angeles Lakers champion Kobe Bryant leads the list of iconic players whose jerseys were retired by the team and are displayed on the rafters of the Crypto.com Arena.
Kobe Bryant’s numbers 8 and 24 were retired by the Lakers on December 18, 2017, to honor him for the five titles he helped the team win in his illustrious 20-year Laker career. He won three championships (2000-2002) wearing #8 and two (2009 and 2010) wearing #24.
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