The Grindhouse | |
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 FedExForum in 2022 | |
| Address | 191Beale Street |
|---|---|
| Location | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 35°8′18″N90°3′2″W / 35.13833°N 90.05056°W /35.13833; -90.05056 |
| Public transit |  Main Street Line atDr. M.L. King Jr. Avenue |
| Owner | City of Memphis |
| Operator | Memphis Basketball, LLC |
| Capacity | Basketball: 16,667 Ice hockey: 16,411 Concert: 18,119 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 20, 2002 |
| Opened | September 6, 2004 |
| Construction cost | US$250 million ($416 million in 2024 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Ellerbe Becket[2] Looney Ricks Kiss[3] Jackson Person & Associates, Inc.[3] Self Tucker Architects Inc.[3] |
| Project manager | PC Sports[4] |
| Structural engineer | ABS-EQE Structural Engineers[2] |
| General contractor | M.A. Mortenson Company[2] |
| Tenants | |
| Memphis Grizzlies (NBA) (2004–present) Memphis Tigers (NCAA) (2004–present) Conference USA men's basketball tournament (2005–2009, 2012) American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament (2014, 2019) | |
| Website | |
| fedexforum | |
FedExForum is a multi-purpose indoorarena located inDowntownMemphis, Tennessee. It is the home of theMemphis Grizzlies of theNational Basketball Association (NBA) and theNCAA Division Imen's basketball program of theUniversity of Memphis, both of whom previously played home games at theMemphis Pyramid. The venue also has the capability of hostingice hockey games,concerts, and family shows.
The arena officially opened in September 2004 after much debate and also aderecho wind storm on July 22, 2003, that nearly brought down thecranes that were building it near the famedBeale Street. It was built at a cost of US$250 million and is owned by the City of Memphis;naming rights were purchased by one of Memphis's best-known businesses,FedEx, for $92 million. FedExForum was financed using $250 million ofpublic bonds, which were issued by the Memphis Public Building Authority (PBA).
Before FedExForum was built, Memphis' primary indoor entertainment venue had beenThe Pyramid, built in 1991. However, when city officials sought to lure either theVancouver Grizzlies orCharlotte Hornets to Memphis, they discovered that the Pyramid was already obsolete as a potential NBA venue despite being only 10 years old. Retrofitting the Pyramid to NBA standards of the time would have not only been prohibitively expensive, but would have also required shuttering the arena for an entire season.[5] When the Grizzlies moved to Memphis for the 2001–02 season, they temporarily shared the Pyramid with theMemphis Tigers men's basketball team while a new arena was being built.
FedExForum was designed by architectural firmEllerbe Becket. Concrete work done with the help of Dowco Construction and Apac. Thearena is 805,850 ft2 (75,000 m2) in size, covering 14acres (57,000 m2). The Arena is round, with a dome. The playing floor is lower than ground level. It is capable of seating 18,119[6] for basketball and has 1,000 premiere courtside seats. There are 27 courtside suites, 32 club suites, 4 party suites, and 80 club boxes. It also contains a full-sized practice basketball court, visible from the huge lobby. The plans called for a mass transit bus depot, which brought a federal grant of $6 million, but the depot was changed to a premium parking garage, and Memphis had to return the money.
FedExForum's interior was designed to pay tribute to Memphis' musical heritage, with paintings and murals depicting some of the city's most famous artists includingJustin Timberlake,Elvis Presley, andB.B. King. Most of the Arena's restaurants are named in conjunction with FedExForum's overall theme of music with Opus Restaurant and the Blue Note Lounge. The two other restaurants are sponsor-driven with the Lexus Lounge just off the Arena Floor and Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 in the Grand Lobby of the Arena.
FedExForum was the first arena to utilize new "see-through"shot clock units which allow spectators seated behind the basket to see the action without having the clocks interfere with their view. The idea came when a fan of the NBA'sNew Jersey Nets who sat behind the basket atContinental Airlines Arena sent an e-mail toNBA CommissionerDavid Stern, asking for technology to improve his view, andDaktronics obliged with the innovation at FedExForum in 2004.[7] The NBA approved the unit a year later for full use and has seen the new units installed at Philadelphia'sWells Fargo Center,Spectrum Center,TD Garden,Moda Center,Capital One Arena,State Farm Arena, andStaples Center after the approval. As of the2011–12 NBA season every NBA arena had implemented the transparent shot clocks, withPepsi Center,The Palace of Auburn Hills,Oracle Arena,Target Center, andARCO Arena being the last NBA arenas to install the clocks.
On February 23, 2008, FedExForum hosted thecollege basketball game featuring the No. 1 rankedMemphis Tigers vs. the No. 2 rankedTennessee Volunteers. The facility also hosted theConference USA men's basketball tournament from 2005 to 2009. It was the site of the South regional semifinals and finals in the2009,2014, and2017 editions of theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, and first- and second-round games of the2024 tournament. FedExForum was one of the four regional finals in the2010 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament.
On March 12–15, 2014, theAmerican Athletic Conference hosted their inaugural tournament at the FedExForum. It hosted the tournament again in 2019.[8]
On September 21, 2006, theNashville Predators and theColumbus Blue Jackets played anNHL preseason game at FedExForum, the firstice hockey game ever held at the arena, won by the Predators 8–1.[9]
On September 25, 2004, FedExForum hosted theRoy Jones Jr. vs. Glen Johnson for theIBF Light heavyweight title. Johnson won the fight with a 9th-round knockout.
FedExForum has hosted three majorprofessional wrestling events. In 2007,World Wrestling Entertainment'sUnforgiven took place on September 16, headlined byThe Undertaker andMark Henry, and thePMG Clash of Legends independent show on April 27, featuringHulk Hogan versusPaul Wight. In 2015, it hostedFastlane on February 22. The first of five WWEhouse shows took place on September 19, 2004, shortly after the venue opened. It has hosted seven episodes ofWWE Raw and four ofWWE SmackDown. One notable instance of WWE at the arena was whenDaniel Bryan "occupied" Raw with hundreds of his fans inside the ring and surrounding the ringside area on March 10, 2014.[10]
On December 12, 2009, FedExForum hosted anUltimate Fighting Championship lightweight title fight,UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez
In August 2010, theProfessional Bull Riders'Built Ford Tough Series tour made their first appearance at FedExForum.[11]
On August 4, 2010, FedExForum held the memorial service to Memphis nativeLorenzen Wright, a Memphis Tigers alum and former Memphis Grizzlies player.
TheChurch of God in Christ, Inc. (COGIC), a Holiness-Pentecostal denomination based in Memphis, held their annual Convocation at the FedExForum from 2004 to 2007.
The arena hostedMonster Jam for a few years, then in 2019 hosted Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live.
In order to keep the Grizzlies in Memphis, the City of Memphis has completed normal renovations to FedExForum to keep it up to NBA standards. In 2012, the arena's sound system was replaced[12] and the main basketball court was replaced for the Grizzlies for $200,000,[13] with the Tigers' court being replaced the following year. Three years later, FedExForum completed a renovation for the backstage areas, including a new video room, a renovation of the coaches' offices, and office space for FedExForum employees.[14] In 2017, the Grizzlies announced a $1.8 million renovation to the arena,[15] which includes an HD scoreboard four times the size of the former, new HD displays, new LED lighting, and other additional fan amenities, which were completed in time for the beginning of the 2017-2018 NBA Season.
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Home of the Memphis Grizzlies 2004 – present | Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by | Home of the Memphis Tigers 2004 – present | Succeeded by current |
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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