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 Ball Arena in 2022 | |
| Former names | Pepsi Center (1999–2020) |
|---|---|
| Address | 1000 Chopper Circle |
| Location | Denver,Colorado, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 39°44′55″N105°0′27″W / 39.74861°N 105.00750°W /39.74861; -105.00750 |
| Public transit | RTD:   atBall Arena–Elitch Gardens station |
| Owner | Kroenke Sports and Entertainment |
| Capacity | Basketball: 19,520 Hockey/Lacrosse: 18,007 Concerts: 21,000 |
| Field size | 675,000 sq ft (62,700 m2) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 20, 1997[1] |
| Opened | October 1, 1999[1] |
| Construction cost | US$187 million (US$366 million in 2024 dollars[2]) |
| Architect | HOK Sport[3] |
| Project manager | ICON Venue Group[4] |
| Structural engineer | Thornton Tomasetti |
| Services engineer | M-E Engineers[5] |
| General contractor | Mortenson Construction[6] |
| Tenants | |
| Colorado Avalanche (NHL) (1999–present) Denver Nuggets (NBA) (1999–present) Colorado Mammoth (NLL) (2003–present) Colorado Crush (AFL) (2003–2008) | |
| Website | |
| ballarena | |
Ball Arena (formerly known as thePepsi Center) is a multi-purposeindoor arena located inDenver, Colorado, United States. It is situated at Speer Boulevard, a main thoroughfare indowntown Denver, and is served by two nearby exits offInterstate 25.A light rail station is on the western side of the complex. Opened in 1999, it is the home arena of theDenver Nuggets of theNational Basketball Association (NBA), theColorado Avalanche of theNational Hockey League (NHL), and theColorado Mammoth of theNational Lacrosse League (NLL).
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The arena replacedMcNichols Sports Arena as the home of the Avalanche and Nuggets. Groundbreaking for the arena on the 4.6-acre (19,000 m2) site was held on November 20, 1997, before reaching completion and opening in October 1999.[7] Also included in the complex are a basketball practice facility used by the Nuggets, and the Breckenridge Brewery Mountain House[8], a restaurant accessible from within and outside the Center itself. Theatrium of the building houses a suspendedsculpture depicting various hockey and basketball athletes in action poses.
Prior to the 2013–14 season, the octagonal scoreboard that was in use since the arena's opening was replaced with a new four-sided rectangular scoreboard. The two center faces measure 27 by 48 feet (8.2 m × 14.6 m) long, while the two end faces measure 21 by 25 feet (6.4 m × 7.6 m) wide.[9]
From its opening through 2020, thenaming rights to the arena were held byPepsiCo, under which it was known as Pepsi Center. On October 22, 2020, the naming rights were sold toBroomfield-basedBall Corporation as part of a global multi-year agreement withKroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE), which also makes it the exclusive "sustainability partner" of the arena. As part of the agreement, all KSE-owned sports teams and venues will employ recyclable aluminum products provided by Ball to reduceplastic waste, with Ball Arena to transition to serving concessions in aluminum packaging by 2022.[10][11]
In May 2022, it was announced that the parking lots around Ball Arena would be redeveloped into a 55-acre mixed-use development as a means to reconnect the arena toDowntown.[12] On October 21, 2024, the project was approved by theDenver City Council as a 64-acre development that will build over 6,000 housing units by 2050.[13][14]
The arena hosted the2001 NHL All-Star Game, plus twoStanley Cup Finals series in2001 and2022. The Avalanche won both times, the first at home.
In 2007, the west regionals of theNCAA Division I hockey tournament were held at the arena, hosted by theUniversity of Denver. The following year, it hosted the Frozen Four round of the2008 tournament.
On January 12, 2025, the firstProfessional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) game in Denver was played at the arena between theMontreal Victoire and theMinnesota Frost; 14,018 fans attended, setting a new record for attendance of women's hockey in the United States.[15] The PWHL returned on January 25, 2026 for a game between theVancouver Goldeneyes andSeattle Torrent and March 15, 2026 between theNew York Sirens andMinnesota Frost.
Ball Arena hosted the2005 NBA All-Star Game, and hosted three games of the2023 NBA Finals. The Nuggets won the 2023 NBA championship at home in Game 5 on June 12 of that year, the first title in franchise history, ending a 47–year drought. The arena has hosted games of theNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2004, 2008, 2011, 2016, and 2023. In 2012, theNCAA Women's Final Four was played at the arena, hosted by theMountain West Conference.[16]
From 2004 to 2006, the arena hosted theMountain West's men's conference tournament.
UFC held its first event at the arena,UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage, on September 24, 2011.[17] It also hostedUFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II the following August.[18] The UFC returned to the arena in 2017 forUFC on Fox: Shevchenko vs. Peña.[19] The promotion returned to the arena the following year in November forUFC Fight Night: The Korean Zombie vs. Rodríguez.[20] The arena most recently heldUFC on ESPN: Namajunas vs. Cortez andONE Championship'sONE 168 in July & September 2024 respectively.[21][22]
The arena has hosted variousWWE (and in the past,WCW) television broadcasts.
On May 18, 2009, WWE cancelled and moved three events it had scheduled in Colorado, including aWWE Raw taping on May 25, 2009, at Pepsi Center, after the Denver Nuggets were scheduled to play Game 4 of theNBA Western Conference finals against theLos Angeles Lakers on the same date. The affected events were all moved to the Lakers' home arena ofStaples Center, while WWE rescheduled an August 7 taping ofRaw for Pepsi Center.[23][24]
In an appearance onKUSA, WWE chairmanVince McMahon accused the "inept management" of team and arena ownerStan Kroenke as having led to the conflict. A KSE spokesperson stated that "despite the propaganda campaign launched by WWE and Chairman Vince McMahon, the KSE team maintained a professional manner throughout this process. We had hoped for, and worked hard toward an amicable resolution - which we verbally had on Tuesday."[25]
The conflict would be referenced during the ensuing May 25Raw, which opened with a skit between impersonators of Kroenke and Lakers ownerJerry Buss. "Kroenke" boasted about the Nuggets and his indifference to WWE and its fans. Mr. McMahon subsequently entered the ring, jokingly proposed the formation of his own basketball league, the XBA (a reference to his ill-fatedXFL), and shoved "Kroenke" down — threatening that people who "push" WWE's fans would get "pushed back". In the main event, a 5-on-5 tag team match was held, where aface team wearing Lakers jerseys (John Cena,Batista,Jerry Lawler,MVP, andMr. Kennedy) defeated aheel team wearing Nuggets jerseys (Randy Orton,The Miz,Cody Rhodes,Ted DiBiase, andBig Show).[26][27]
Ball Arena has hosted a wide array ofmusic concerts and other events since opening in 1999.Celine Dion performed a sold-out show at the venue - the first event of any kind at the location, on October 1, 1999. Dion dedicated the show to theColumbine community following theschool shooting that occurred less than six months prior.[28] Since then, artists such asBeyoncé,Destiny's Child,Lady Gaga,[29]Katy Perry,[30]Coldplay,[31]Demi Lovato,Nick Jonas,[32]Christina Aguilera,[33]Britney Spears,[34]Taylor Swift,[35]Imagine Dragons,[36]Pink,[37]NSYNC,[38]Shania Twain,[39]Cher,[40]KISS,[41]Justin Timberlake,[42]Elton John,[43]Twenty One Pilots,[44] andMadonna[45] have held concerts at the arena.
During the week of July 2–8, 2007, the arena hosted the International Convention and Contests of theBarbershop Harmony Society, a men's singing organization.
After a short-lived race at theDenver Civic Center in the early 1990s, theChamp Car World Series ran an annual street circuit race around Pepsi Center, theGrand Prix of Denver. The race was discontinued after the 2006 event.
The majority of the2008 Democratic National Convention was held at the arena, culminating with the official nomination of then-SenatorBarack Obama as the Democratic Party's candidate for the2008 presidential election. However, the closing night of the convention, including Obama's acceptance speech, was instead held atInvesco Field at Mile High.[46]
Madonna's concert on October 18, 2012, as part of herMDNA Tour (2012) drew controversy and complaints from critics and fans alike. Not only was the show reported to have started three hours late, but it also usedfake guns during a violence-inspired performance of her tracks "Revolver" and "Gang Bang". The performance took place less than three months after amass shootingat a movie theatre in nearby Aurora, Colorado, driving feelings that its inclusion was insensitive and in poor taste.[45]
In January 2025, bluegrass musicianBilly Strings played three consecutive sold-out nights at the arena.[47] Strings' performances at the venue were the highest attended shows of his career.[48]
