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 The Kaseya Center in 2024. | |
| Former names | American Airlines Arena (1999–2021) FTX Arena (2021–2023) Miami-Dade Arena (2023) |
|---|---|
| Address | 601 Biscayne Boulevard |
| Location | Miami,Florida, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 25°46′53″N80°11′17″W / 25.78139°N 80.18806°W /25.78139; -80.18806 |
| Public transit |  Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre  MiamiCentral Freedom TowerPark West |
| Parking | 939 parking spaces |
| Owner | Miami-Dade County |
| Operator | Basketball Properties Ltd. |
| Capacity | Basketball: 19,600; 16,500 (Without upper levels) Concerts: 5,000–20,021 Hockey: 14,447 |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | February 6, 1998; 27 years ago (1998-02-06) |
| Opened | December 31, 1999; 25 years ago (1999-12-31) |
| Construction cost | US$213 million ($402 million in 2024 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Arquitectonica 360 Architecture (formerlyHeinlein Schrock Stearns) |
| Project manager | Parsons Brinckerhoff |
| Structural engineer | Thornton Tomasetti |
| Services engineer | Flack+Kurtz[2] |
| General contractor | Morse-Diesel/Odebrecht/Facchina[3] |
| Main contractors | John J. Kirlin, LLC[4] Simpson Constructors[5] Crown Corr Inc.[6] |
| Tenants | |
| Miami Heat (NBA) (2000–present) Miami Sol (WNBA) (2000–2002) | |
| Website | |
| kaseyacenter | |
Kaseya Center is amulti-purpose arena onBiscayne Bay inMiami, Florida. The arena is home to theMiami Heat of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). The arena was previously namedAmerican Airlines Arena from opening in 1999 until 2021,FTX Arena from 2021 until 2023, andMiami-Dade Arena during an interim period in 2023. Since April 2023, thenaming rights to the arena are owned byKaseya under a 17-year, $117.4 million agreement.[7] The official name of the arena's basketball court is thePat Riley Court at Kaseya Center.
The arena has capacity for 19,500 people,[8] including 2,105 club seats, 80 luxury suites, and 76 private boxes. Additionally, for more intimate performances, The Waterfront Theater, the largest indoor theater in Florida, is within the arena complex, seating between 3,000 and 5,800 patrons. The theater can be configured forconcerts, worship events, family events,musical theatre shows and other stage productions.American Airlines, which has a hub atMiami International Airport, maintains a travel center at the venue.
The arena is directly served by theMiami Metrorail atGovernment Center station via free transfers toMetromover Omni Loop, providing direct service toFreedom Tower station andPark West station stations, within walking distance. It is also within walking distance from theHistoric Overtown/Lyric Theatre station.
The arena has 939 parking spaces, with those spaces reserved for premium seat and Dewar's 12 Clubhouse ticket holders during Heat games.ParkJockey manages the arena's on-site parking.[9][10]
In 1997, the owners of theMiami Heat of theNational Basketball Association, which then played in the eight-year-old, publicly financedMiami Arena, threatened to move toBroward County unless they were given the $38 million parcel of land for the new arena byAlex Penelas, then-mayor of Miami-Dade County. The agreement provided that the county receive 40% of annual profits of the arena, which was above $14 million.[11]
Construction began on February 6, 1998.[8] The arena was designed byArquitectonica[12] and360 Architecture.
Kaseya Center opened as the American Airlines Arena on December 31, 1999, and its construction cost was $213 million. Architectural design team members included George Heinlein, Cristian Petschen, Reinaldo Borges, and Lance Simon. The arena's opening was inaugurated with a concert byGloria Estefan.[13] Two days later, on January 2, 2000, the Miami Heat played its first game in the new arena by defeating theOrlando Magic 111–103.[14]
As part of its sponsorship arrangement,American Airlines had a giant aircraft painted atop the arena's roof, with an American Airlines logo in the center. The design was visible from airplanes taking off and landing atMiami International Airport, where American has a hub. The arena also has luxury skyboxes called "Flagship Lounges", a trademark originally used for American's premium-class lounges at certain airports. Until the date that the arena was renamed in 2020–2021, the arena used the 1967-2013 logo of American Airlines.
The arena was sometimes referred to as "Triple-A" or "A3" (A cubed).[15]
The arena is known for its unusualscoreboard, designed by artist Christopher Janney and installed in 1998 as part of the original construction. Drawing on the underwater anemone forms, the scoreboard also changes colors depending on the atmosphere.[16]
For concerts in an arena configuration, end stage capacity is 12,202 for 180° shows, 15,402 for 270° shows, and 18,309 for 360° shows. For center stage concerts the arena can seat 19,146.[citation needed]
WTVJ, the city'sNBC-owned and operated station in Miami, had their Downtown Miami Studios in the back of the arena from 2001 until 2011.[citation needed]
In 2013, the Miami Heat paid rent on the arena for the first time pursuant to the percentage rent agreement with the county; the payment was $3.32 million.[17][18]
On September 10, 2019, American Airlines said that it would not renew its naming rights upon expiration at the end of 2019.[19][20][21][22] The American Airlines Arena court decals were removed from the Heat's floor before the 2020–21 season and replaced temporarily with the logo of team/league vehicle sponsorKia Motors.
In March 2021,FTX acquired the naming rights to the arena in a $135 million, 19-year agreement.[23][15] The NBA approved the deal in early April, and the arena was renamed FTX Arena in June 2021, just after theMiami Heat were defeated by theMilwaukee Bucks in the first round of the2021 NBA playoffs.[24][25]
As part of thebankruptcy of FTX, the naming rights agreement was terminated effective January 2023.[26][27][28][29] After three months under the temporary name of Miami-Dade Arena, a 17-year naming rights agreement was reached with Miami-based software companyKaseya to name the arena Kaseya Center beginning April 2023.[30] Under the terms of the contract, the county receives the majority of the naming rights revenue while the Heat receives $2 million annually.[30]
In October 2024, it was announced that the court would be dedicated to longtime coach and executivePat Riley, who led the Heat to three championships and helped the team acquireLeBron James andChris Bosh in 2010.[31]
In January 2017, the closing of theRingling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was announced after shows at the arena.[32][33]
The arena hostedUncensored (2000), theWorld Championship WrestlingWCW Uncensored pay-per-view. Four majorWWE pay-per-view events have been held at the arena: theRoyal Rumble in2006,Survivor Series in2007 and2010, andWWE Hell in a Cell in2013. It has also hosted various episodes ofWWE Raw andWWE SmackDown, most notably featuring the return of Brock Lesnar on April 2nd, 2012.
On April 25, 2003, the arena hosted the firstUltimate Fighting Championship event in Florida,UFC 42: Sudden Impact.[34] The UFC returned to the arena after twenty years on April 8, 2023, forUFC 287: Pereira vs. Adesanya 2.[35] The promotion returned again on March 9, 2024, forUFC 299: O'Malley vs. Vera 2.[36] The UFC returned a year later on April 12, 2025, forUFC 314: Volkanovski vs. Lopes.[37]
Notable musicians to perform at the arena includeOlivia Rodrigo,Doja Cat,Charli XCX,Troye Sivan,Gloria Estefan,Phish,[39]Shakira,Dua Lipa,Kylie Minogue,Mariah Carey,Cher,Kelly Clarkson,Clay Aiken,Britney Spears,U2,Soda Stereo,Kanye West,Tina Turner,Celine Dion,Justin Bieber,Lady Gaga,Coldplay,[40]Jennifer Lopez,SZA,Madonna,Miley Cyrus,Hillsong United,Justin Timberlake,One Direction,Katy Perry,Demi Lovato,Ariana Grande,[41]Chris Brown,Janet Jackson,Billie Eilish,Taylor Swift,Twenty One Pilots,The Weeknd,Rihanna,[42]Selena Gomez,[43]Maroon 5,Adele,[44]Carrie Underwood,Jimmie Allen,Ricardo Arjona,[45]RBD,[46] andTini.
The2004 MTV Video Music Awards and the2005 MTV Video Music Awards,Sensation, as well as theFor Darfur benefit concert were held at the arena.
The arena hosts the annualPremio Lo Nuestro Latin music awards since 2001. The awards are held on a Thursday night in late February. The Kaseya Center hosted theLatin Grammy Awards, with the2003, the2020 and in 2024 on November 14. Kaseya Center also hosted the2004 and2005 MTV Video Music Awards as well as the2020 NFL Honors on February 1, 2020.
| Preceded by | Home of theMiami Heat 1999–present | Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by none | Home of theMiami Sol 2000–2002 | Succeeded by none |
| Preceded by | Home of theRoyal Rumble 2006 | Succeeded by |
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