The Forum in Inglewood officially renamed 'Kia Forum'

LA Forum changes its name to Kia Forum

Starting Monday, Los Angeles' landmark "The Forum" Sports and Entertainment Arena in Inglewood has a new name, "Kia Forum." 

Passersby in Inglewood last Thursday saw a new sign being raised outside the venue, proclaiming it the "Kia Forum," thanks to a naming-rights deal between the automaker and venue owner Steve Ballmer.  

On Monday, the Southern California based automaker released a sleek video promoting their cars and ushering in The Forum's new name. Kia America announced it will add a large bank of electric charge stations in the parking lot. 

No details of the deal -- first reported by the digital news site Sportico -- have been released by the Forum about terms of the agreement. A news conference is scheduled at the Forum on Monday morning.  

The company recently bought the naming rights from Ballmer, who purchased the Forum two years ago, ostensibly to resolve a legal battle launched by previous owner Madison Square Garden Co. over Ballmer's plans to build a new arena for the Los Angeles Clippers just blocks away. MSG officials claimed the project violated its agreements with the city of Inglewood by placing a competing venue in the area. 

The Kia Forum is the former home of the Lakers and Kings and nicknamed the "Fabulous Forum." The arena is now primarily used as a music venue. The renaming comes a few months after the Staples Center was renamed Crypto.com arena in the largest naming rights deal ever, at $700 million over 20 years.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.