Thomas & Mack Center

The Shark Tank
Thomas & Mack Center, October 19, 2011
Thomas & Mack Center Location in Nevada Show map of Nevada Thomas & Mack Center Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Address	4505 S. Maryland Parkway
Location	Paradise, Nevada
Coordinates	36°6′18″N115°8′39″W / 36.10500°N 115.14417°W /36.10500; -115.14417
Owner	University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Operator	University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Capacity	Basketball: 17,923 Boxing: 18,645 Arena football: 16,606 Concerts: *End stage 180°: 14,729 *End stage 270°: 15,736 *End stage 360°: 18,069 *Center stage: 18,574 *Theatre: 9,413[1]
Surface	Multi-surface
Construction
Broke ground	October 21, 1981; 44 years ago (1981-10-21)[2]
Opened	December 16, 1983; 41 years ago (1983-12-16)
Construction cost	$30 million
Architect	W2C Architects,John Carl Warnecke and Associates and Cambeiro & Cambeiro Ltd. (Artturo Cambeiro, AIA and Domingo Cambeiro) Ellerbe Becket (renovation)[3]
Structural engineer	John A. Martin & Associates[4]
General contractor	Perini Building Company[5]
Tenants
UNLV Runnin' Rebels (NCAA) (1983–present) UNLV Lady Rebels (NCAA) (1983–2001) Las Vegas Americans (MISL) (1984–1985) Las Vegas Silver Streaks (WBL) (1988–1990) Las Vegas Thunder (IHL) (1993–1999) Las Vegas Flash (RHI) (1994) Las Vegas Dustdevils (CISL) (1995) Las Vegas Sting (AFL) (1995) Las Vegas Silver Bandits (IBL) (1999–2001) Las Vegas Gladiators (AFL) (2003–2006) Las Vegas Sin (LFL) (2014) Las Vegas Outlaws (AFL) (2015) NBA Summer League (2004–present)

TheThomas & Mack Center is a multi-purposearena on the campus of theUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas inParadise, Nevada. It is home of theUNLV Runnin' Rebelsbasketball team of theMountain West Conference.

The facility first opened in the summer of 1983. The gala grand opening was held on December 16, 1983, featuringFrank Sinatra,Dean Martin andDiana Ross.^[6] The facility hosts numerous events, such as concerts, music festivals, conventions andboxing cards. For ring events, the capacity is 19,522; for basketball, the capacity is 18,000.^[6] The facility is named after two prominent Nevada bankers,E. Parry Thomas andJerome D. Mack, who donated the original funds for the feasibility and land studies.

The arena underwent a major interior and exterior renovation in 1999, and in 2008 the installation of new visual equipment including a new four-sided center-hung LED widescreen scoreboard, which includes four LED advertising/scoring boards above it and an LED advertising ring below it to replace the one installed in 1995, a partial LED ring beam display covering 80% of the balcony's rim, a new 50' LED scorer's table display, a new shot clock system for the backboards, six wall-mounted locker room game clocks, two new custom scoreboards with fixed digital scoring and complete player stats and a new outdoor marquee LED video billboard.

In 2001, a smaller arena,Cox Pavilion, was added to the complex; the two arenas are directly connected. Cox Pavilion is used for smaller events; its main tenants are the UNLV women's basketball and volleyball programs.

The center's primary tenant is theUNLV men's basketball team since 1983. The arena was nicknamed "the Shark Tank" after UNLV coachJerry Tarkanian, whose nickname was Tark the Shark. He won anational championship in 1990 and took the team to three additionalFinal Fours (four Final Fours overall).^[7] The arena ranked 4th highest in college basketball attendance during the2012–2013 season.

The facility also hosted theLas Vegas Thunder of the now defunctInternational Hockey League. It was also hosted the Las Vegas Flash of the RHI in the 1993–94 seasonpre-season games annually in October through 2013. In 2014 and 2015 their games were played atMGM Grand, and from 2016 onward atT-Mobile Arena.

It was the former home of theArena Football League'sLas Vegas Sting,Las Vegas Gladiators, andLas Vegas Outlaws. In 2005 and 2006, the arena hosted the Arena Football League'sArenaBowl.

ArenaBowl XIX andArenaBowl XX were the first two ArenaBowls to be held at a neutral site arena. In the past, the games had been played at the site of the highest seed in the playoffs.

InArenaBowl XIX in 2005, theColorado Crush, owned byJohn Elway defeated theGeorgia Force on a field goal on the final play of the game. The game was ranked as one of the AFL's 20 best games ever in league history. The following year, 2006, theChicago Rush, owned byMike Ditka defeated theOrlando Predators 69–61 for the Rush's first championship in franchise history.

The venue hosted the2007 NBA All-Star Game, marking the first time that this game was held in a city without aNational Basketball Association (NBA) franchise. For the first time in NBA history, an on-campus college sports arena served as venue of anNBA All-Star Game. However, the arena had previously hosted home games for two NBA teams, theUtah Jazz andLos Angeles Lakers.

The Utah Jazz used the arena in the mid-1980s, and it was whereKareem Abdul-Jabbar brokeWilt Chamberlain's record for points in a career in 1984. After theRodney King riots, the Lakers used the arena in 1992 for Game 4 of their first roundplayoff series against thePortland Trail Blazers, which Portland won 102–76.

The 1994–95Big West Conference, 1997–99Western Athletic Conference and 2000–03Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournaments were held there as well. The Mountain West Conferencemen's andwomen's basketball tournaments have both been played annually at the arena since 2007.^[8]

TheFIBA Americas Championship 2007 was held at Thomas & Mack Center from August 22 to September 2.

Date	Opponent	Score	Home	Attendance
August 22, 2007	Uruguay	88–44 (OT)	Panama	–
	Puerto Rico	89–100	Mexico	–
	Brazil	75–67	Canada	–
	Venezuela	69–112	United States	–
August 23, 2007	Argentina	90–69	Uruguay	–
	Panama	67–108	Puerto Rico	–
	Venezuela	73–80	Canada	–
	Virgin Islands	59–123	United States	–
August 24, 2007	Panama	75–87	Argentina	–
	Uruguay	82–79	Puerto Rico	–
	Virgin Islands	83–93	Canada	–
	Brazil	101–75	Venezuela	–
August 25, 2007	Uruguay	82–79	Puerto Rico	–
	Argentina	104–83	Mexico	–
	Canada	63–113	United States	–
	Virgin Islands	89–93	Brazil	–
August 26, 2007	Uruguay	91–82	Mexico	–
	Panama	92–109 (OT)	Argentina	–
	Venezuela	100–90	Virgin Islands	–
	Brazil	76–113	United States	–
August 27, 2007	Uruguay	88–95	Canada	–
	Argentina	98–63	Venezuela	–
	Brazil	75–97	Puerto Rico	–
	Mexico	100–127	United States	–
August 28, 2007	Venezuela	89–79	Uruguay	–
	Argentina	85–70	Canada	–
	Brazil	104–90	Mexico	–
	Puerto Rico	78–117	United States	–
August 29, 2007	Mexico	80–97	Canada	–
	Venezuela	63–92	Puerto Rico	–
	Argentina	86–79	Brazil	–
	Uruguay	79–118	United States	–
August 30, 2007	Mexico	101–91	Venezuela	–
	Brazil	96–62	Uruguay	–
	Puerto Rico	72–66	Canada	–
	Argentina	76–91	United States	–
September 1, 2007	Argentina	91–80	Brazil	–
	Puerto Rico	91–135	United States	–
September 2, 2007	Brazil	107–111	Puerto Rico	–
	Argentina	81–118	United States	–

In late 2007,CBS filmed part of theCSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode, "Bull", at the Thomas & Mack Center, which was hosting thePBR World Finals.
Since 1985, the Thomas & Mack Center has hosted the annualNational Finals Rodeo each December.^[9] It also hosted thePBR World Finals from 1999 to 2015 before the event moved to the newT-Mobile Arena in 2016;^[10] the PBR returned in 2018 to host its annual "Last Cowboy Standing" event.^[11] As a surprise during the 2018 PBR World Finals in November, CEO Sean Gleason announced that the PBR Last Cowboy Standing event would be hosted atCheyenne Frontier Days inCheyenne, Wyoming starting in 2019. This move to the world's largest outdoor rodeo expanded on a growing partnership.^[12][13]

The venue hosted multiple professional boxing fights, including:

• September 12, 1992 –Julio César Chávez vsHector "Macho" Camacho (for the WBC light welterweight title)
• November 13, 1992 –Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe (for the WBA, WBC, IBF and lineal heavyweight titles)
• May 8, 1993 –Lennox Lewis vs. Tony Tucker (for the WBC heavyweight title)
• June 13, 1993 –George Foreman vs. Tommy Morrison (for the WBO heavyweight title)
• April 12, 1997 –Pernell Whitaker vs. Oscar De La Hoya (for the WBC and lineal welterweight titles)
• September 13, 1997 –Oscar De La Hoya vs. Héctor Camacho (for the WBC and lineal welterweight titles)
• November 8, 1997 –Evander Holyfield vs. Michael Moorer II (for the WBA and IBF heavyweight titles)
• September 18, 1998 –Oscar De La Hoya vs. Julio César Chávez II (for the WBC and lineal welterweight title)
• February 13, 1999 –Oscar De La Hoya vs. Ike Quartey (for the WBC welterweight title)
• November 13, 1999 –Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis II (for the WBA, WBC, IBF and lineal heavyweight titles)
• March 1, 2003 –John Ruiz vs. Roy Jones Jr. (for the WBA heavyweight title)
• January 21, 2006 –Érik Morales vs. Manny Pacquiao II (for the WBC International super featherweight title)
• April 8, 2006 –Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Zab Judah (for the IBF and IBO welterweight titles)
• November 18, 2006 –Manny Pacquiao vs. Érik Morales III (for the WBC International super featherweight title)
• April 19, 2008 –Bernard Hopkins vs. Joe Calzaghe (light heavyweight fight)
• September 15, 2012 –Julio César Chávez Jr. vsSergio Martínez (for the WBC middleweight title)
• October 13, 2013 –Timothy Bradley vs. Juan Manuel Márquez (for the WBO welterweight title)
• November 5, 2016 –Manny Pacquiao vs. Jessie Vargas (for the WBO welterweight title)

The venue also hostedmixed martial arts events such asUFC 43 in 2003,Pride 32 in 2006 andPride 33 in 2007.

On March 30, 1984, theUSA Volleyball Olympic team competed in the international competition at Thomas & Mack Center.

NumerousWWE PPV events have been held at the Thomas and Mack Center includingNo Way Out 2001,Vengeance 2005,No Way Out 2008, and the finals of the all women'sMae Young Classic tournament in 2017, as well as episodes ofWWE Raw,WWE SmackDown,WWE ECW,WWE Heat,WWE Velocity,WWE Superstars,WWE NXT,WWE Main Event andWWE Superstars of Wrestling.

The facility also hosts numerous other events such as concerts, music festivals and conventions.

The gala grand opening was held on December 16, 1983, featuringFrank Sinatra,Dean Martin andDiana Ross.Rock bandMötley Crüe performed on March 16, 1984.

SirElton John's first performance at the arena was on August 24, 1984.

Other bands such asAC/DC,Van Halen,Metallica,Kiss, andAerosmith performed in 1986.

On November 14, 1987, comedianEddie Murphy performed at the arena.

On January 25, 1992,Guns N' Roses performed at the arena during theirUse Your Illusion Tour. It was the largest attendance single performance concert with 17,590 fans in attendance. Later, the record was broken byU2 on November 18, 2001, when U2 sold 17,771 tickets.^[14]

Pearl Jam performed at the arena on July 11, 1998.

Anita Mui performed at the arena on 4 September 1999. She is the first Chinese singer to hold a concert there.

Rock bandPhish performed at the arena ten times. The first time was November 13, 1997, as their fall tour opener. They also played on October 30 and 31, 1998. During the Halloween Night performance, the band coveredThe Velvet Underground's entireLoaded album during the second set. This performance is available on the band's official live releaseLive Phish Volume 16. The band returned to the arena for two shows in September 29 and 30, 2000, and two more shows on February 15 and 16, 2003. They also played three shows on April 15, 16 and 17, 2004.

On September 11, 2003, Thomas & Mack Center celebrated its 20th anniversary, hostingR.E.M. in concert.

In September 2004, theWorld Music Awards was held at the arena, broadcast live onABC.

On January 28, 2007,High School Musical: The Concert performed with over 10,000 people attending.

The arena has hosted lectures byBill Clinton andMikhail Gorbachev as part of various UNLV-affiliated lecture series.

On October 19, 2016, the arena hosted the finalPresidential Debate for the2016 presidential election.^[15]

On June 15, 2022Dave Matthews Band performed for the culmination of the 2022 Cisco Live! conference.^[16]

On July 22–24, 2022,Monster Jam made its debut at the arena. This marked the show's first trip to Las Vegas since the 2019 All-Star Challenge atSam Boyd Stadium. Monster Jam returned the following year.

• 
  Inside the arena before UNLV basketball game
• 
  An aerial view showing the connected Cox Pavilion
• 
  Thomas & Mack Center August 2007
• 
  Thomas & Mack Center &Cox Pavilion
• 
  Thomas & Mack Center 2005

• List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas

Wikimedia Commons has media related toThomas & Mack Center.

• Official website
• Arena Tickets

• University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• 1983 establishments in Nevada
• Sports venues completed in 1983
• Basketball venues in Nevada
• Boxing venues in the Las Vegas Valley
• College basketball venues in Nevada
• Indoor arenas in the Las Vegas Valley
• Ice hockey venues in the United States
• Indoor soccer venues in the United States
• Mixed martial arts venues in Nevada
• Rodeo venues in the United States
• Show jumping venues in the United States
• Sports venues in Paradise, Nevada
• UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball
• Las Vegas Flash
• Utah Jazz
• Thomas & Mack Center
• Ultimate Fighting Championship venues

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from May 2024
• Coordinates on Wikidata
• Commons category link from Wikidata