Zeidman retiring from Crypto.com Arena

Article posted by Coliseum, April 10^th, 2025

Image: Coliseum GSVA

Lee Zeidman, the only person to ever run Crypto.com Arena and LA Live in Los Angeles, is stepping down from his role in October.

Billboard said Zeidman was the first employee hired at Crypto.com Arena in February 1997, following 10 years overseeing the LA Forum.

He estimates he worked 6,500 events during his 40-plus-year career, including nine NBA Finals, five WNBA Finals, three Stanley Cups, five all-star weekends (NBA and NHL) and 22 Grammy awards.

He has also dealt with the countless celebrities that frequented the arena and even orchestrating the high-profile funerals of Michael Jackson and Kobe Bryant held at the arena.

One of Zeidman’s final acts was to help oversee the arena’s three-year, nine-figure renovation.

The 20,000-capacity Crypto.com Arena is a multipurpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles (US).

Opened on October 17^th, 1999 as the Staples Center it is located next to the 72,134-capacity Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street and has since been considered a part of L.A. Live (a 5.6 million square foot entertainment complex in downtown Los Angeles, California).

The venue serves as the home arena of the National Basketball Association (NBA) team Los Angeles Lakers, the National Hockey League (NHL) team Los Angeles Kings and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) team Los Angeles Sparks.

AEG President Dan Beckerman and Zeidman have been discussing possible ways to replace him, including spreading his responsibilities among multiple people.

Zeidman said that David Anderson (SVP/Operations & Event Production, Peacock Theater) and Jim Madsen (VP/Operations, LA Live) will have input into how those roles are set up, too.

A search is already underway to fill one-third of Zeidman’s array of responsibilities; Elevate Talent is leading a search for a new General Manager of Crypto.com Arena that has thus far identified internal and external candidates.

Zeidman believes that search will be complete within the next month or two, allowing an overlapping transition for him and the new hire.

Once the new GM is fully onboarded, Zeidman would begin his own phasing out of the arena, working remotely a certain amount of hours per week. His official end date is no later than Oct. 31, but could come earlier.

Zeidman said, “It’s a done deal, baby. It feels fantastic. I’m not sure what I want to do. I’ve worked 45 years, hundred-hour work weeks during that time.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work for some great ownership groups and some very, very, very prominent people, be involved with two of the most iconic venues in California, if not the United States, if not the entire world.”

Zeidman could now contribute to the LA28 Olympics and he’s eager to serve on boards as needed or guest lecture at universities.

Zeidman added, “It’s been a great run. I’ve worked with thousands of full-time people, thousands of part-time people that helped shape me not only as a pro but as a human being as well.”

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