Fans allowed at Staples Center starting April 15

One of basketball’s most storied rivalries, two teams that fueled the NBA’s growth over a decade, will be on the court in front of fans at Staples Center on April 15, the first time professional basketball in Los Angeles has had spectators in more than a year.

The Lakers will host the Boston Celtics on the date new state guidelines permit large indoor gatherings at sporting events.

“We are incredibly excited that the State of California announced guidelines today that will allow Lakers fans to return to Staples Center,” the Lakers said in a statement. “Now that we have the guidance, we will work with L.A. County Public Health and Staples Center to finalize our plans to have fans safely attend our games starting with the Lakers vs. Celtics game on April 15.”

State guidelines released Friday allowed for indoor venues to begin returning fans to arenas under the following rules:

Testing or proof of vaccination would be required and capacity limited to 20% in the red tier. The threshold would be 10%, or 2,000 people, in the orange tier — and could increase to 35% if all attendees are tested or show proof of full vaccination. The cap is also set at 10%, or 2,000 people, in the yellow tier, though capacity in those cases could increase to 50% if all guests are tested or fully vaccinated.

Staples Center and its teams said they will work with the state and county to finalize procedures to ensure fan safety.

The Lakers haven’t unfurled their 2020 NBA championship banner, vowing to do so only when fans are back in the building.

Both the Clippers and the Kings are making similar plans for fans.

The Clippers are planning on having fans in the building on April 18 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Kings have targeted April 20 against the Ducks for their first game with fans.

The Ducks will host fans on April 16 against the Vegas Golden Knights at Honda Center in Anaheim.

Staples Center has been without paid fans since the Lakers played the Brooklyn Nets on March 10, 2020.

As of Friday, 20 NBA teams were allowing fans to attend games, ranging in capacity from 750 to 5,542.