No, the Lakers didn’t throw shade at Taylor Swift
By Scott Rogust
The Staples Center took down a Taylor Swift banner, but it was not meant to throw shade at the music star.
In Los Angeles, the Staples Center hosts not only four professional sports teams (Lakers, Clippers, Kings, and Sparks), but also a ton of entertainment events and concerts. One of music’s biggest stars is Taylor Swift, who just so happens to have a banner hanging up in the rafters of the arena. But then, it disappeared.
On Tuesday night, The Morning Column’s Arash Markazi spotted that the Swift banner was removed from the Staples Center during the Lakers’ home opener against the Clippers. The arena removed it to make room for the Lakers’ temporary 17th NBA championship banner.
Staples Center took down Taylor Swift's banner to make room for the Lakers' newest banner but it is still in the arena. It will most likely be displayed in Staples Center's concourse with photos of the night Kobe Bryant presented it to her. https://t.co/ofoBbn5rZU
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) December 25, 2020
Kings fans are happy the banner is down, however
Markazi says that Swift’s banner will not be taken out of the Staples Center entirely. Rather, it’s currently in a storage unit and will be moved to a new location within the next year. As for the Lakers, their permanent banner will likely be presented next year once fans can safely attend games, per the Washington Post.
Swift received this special sign back on Aug. 21, 2015, when the late Kobe Bryant got on stage and pointed to the banner raised in the rafters as she concluded her 16th sold out show inside the arena.
Kobe Bryant presented Taylor Swift with her most sold out performances banner on Aug. 21, 2025. https://t.co/Z1Cx0Hc5Qt
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) December 24, 2020
While the banner was meant to honor the musician’s stellar achievement, it allegedly brought bad luck to one Hollywood sports fanbase. Kings fans have said the banner was a “jinx,” because ever since the Swift banner was raised, the NHL franchise has never won a Stanley Cup playoff series. They can believe that all they want, but the team that hoisted the Cup in 2012 and 2014 got older while the rest of the league got younger and faster. Just saying. In fact, the Kings covered the Swift banner for home games last season following a bevy of fan complaints.
The removal of the Swift’s namesake in the rafters wasn’t meant as a form of shade being thrown towards the superstar. Rather, the arena wants to make room for the Lakers’ latest championship banner.
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