LOS ANGELES  — The NBA playoffs are back in Los Angeles, and for the first time in recent memory, both the Lakers and Clippers believe they have a legitimate shot at a championship.

But while the stars take center stage on the hardwood this week, one of the city’s most influential sports figures is quietly stepping off of it.

Lee Zeidman, the longtime president of Crypto.com Arena, is retiring after more than four decades in the business and 26 years overseeing the venue once known as the Staples Center. He was the arena’s first employee, hired before its doors ever opened in 1999 — and the man tasked with turning it into a crown jewel of sports and entertainment.

From his usual post in a corner of the arena, Zeidman spent decades watching history unfold: NBA Finals, Stanley Cup runs, Grammy Awards, championship parades and tearful memorials.

“When I stand there in that corner, over my right shoulder… there are night after night,” Zeidman said. “And I just kind of watch it. Take it all in.”

That corner doesn’t bear his name. There’s no plaque or statue. But to those who’ve worked beside him — and too many of the millions who’ve passed through the gates — it’s known simply as “Lee’s corner.”

Since 1999, Zeidman has overseen more than 6,500 events. His fingerprints are on every spotlight and every standing ovation that’s bounced off the rafters and into the night.

“Staples Center in ’99 revitalized downtown Los Angeles,” Zeidman said. “I got to help bring it to life — night after unforgettable night.”

His office is a museum of sorts, lined with photos, memorabilia and reminders of the icons he’s worked with: Kobe Bryant, Vin Scully, Chick Hearn, Bob Miller — even the Rolling Stones.

“Keith Richards said it was a great night for him,” Zeidman said with a grin. “That’s something.”

Now, the only man to ever run the building is preparing to leave it — for good.

“I got a boatload of memories coming out of this place,” he said. “And I’m going to take them with me. It’s been a great run. I have no regrets.”

He won’t be leaving empty-handed. As a parting gift, the Lakers presented him with a life-sized bobblehead in his likeness. “I’m putting this in my backyard when I leave,” he joked.

Danielle Snyder, senior vice president of arena services, said Zeidman’s presence was constant through the arena’s most pivotal moments.

“At all of those big, scaled moments — playoffs, championships, Game 7s — Lee was always right there with us,” she said.

Now, both the Lakers and Kings are headed to the postseason as top-four seeds — a fitting farewell for the man who’s overseen it all.

“It would be phenomenal for one of the two to get to the finals,” Zeidman said. “Even more phenomenal if one of the two won. It would be a cap on my career… if they both got there.”

He may be retiring, but his legacy lives on — in the blueprints, in the banners, and in the cheers of a crowd chasing one more title.

That corner will always be his. And this arena won’t forget the man who helped open its doors. 

“I got a boatload of memories coming out of this place,” he said. “And I’m going to take them with me. It’s been a great run. I have no regrets.”

He won’t be leaving empty-handed. As a parting gift, the Lakers presented him with a life-sized bobblehead in his likeness. “I’m putting this in my backyard when I leave,” he joked.

Danielle Snyder, senior vice president of arena services, said Zeidman’s presence was constant through the arena’s most pivotal moments.

“At all of those big, scaled moments — playoffs, championships, Game 7s — Lee was always right there with us,” she said.

Now, both the Lakers and Kings are headed to the postseason as top-four seeds — a fitting farewell for the man who’s overseen it all.

“It would be phenomenal for one of the two to get to the finals,” Zeidman said. “Even more phenomenal if one of the two won. It would be a cap on my career… if they both got there.”

He may be retiring, but his legacy lives on — in the blueprints, in the banners, and in the cheers of a crowd chasing one more title.

That corner will always be his. And this arena won’t forget the man who helped open its doors.