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Delta Center
Arena in Salt Lake City From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Delta Center is an indoor venue in Salt Lake City. Opened in 1991, the arena is the home of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Utah Mammoth of the National Hockey League (NHL). The arena has a seating capacity of 18,175 for basketball, up to 11,131 for ice hockey and indoor football, and 20,000 for concerts.[4] It has 56 luxury suites and 668 club seats.
Over the years, it has also hosted other professional sports teams including the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League and the Utah Starzz of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). During the 2002 Winter Olympics, the arena hosted figure skating and short-track speed skating competitions under the name "Salt Lake Ice Center". It is expected to host ice hockey during the 2034 Winter Olympics.
The Delta Center is the third oldest arena in the NBA, after Madison Square Garden in New York City and Target Center in Minneapolis, and the fourth oldest arena in the NHL, after Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Madison Square Garden and the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.
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History
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The arena was originally imagined as a 20,000-seat home for the Utah Jazz and Salt Lake Golden Eagles to replace the since-demolished Salt Palace arena, which had 12,616 seats.[5] Under the leadership and private financing of Utah businessman Larry H. Miller, ground was broken on May 22, 1990, and it was completed on October 4, 1991, in time for late-October basketball games, at a cost of US$93 million (US$215 million in 2024 dollars).[6][1]
Naming rights to the arena would be acquired by Delta Air Lines, naming it Delta Center.[7] The first game played in the arena was a Golden Eagles game against the Peoria Rivermen on October 16, 1991, which the home team lost 4–2.[8] The Eagles had also played the inaugural game in the Salt Palace arena when it opened on October 10, 1969.[9]
The first basketball game played in the arena was a Jazz pre-season loss against the New York Knicks, 101–95.[10] The first regular season game for the Jazz was a 103–95 loss to the Seattle SuperSonics on November 7, 1991.
In addition to the Utah Jazz and Blaze, the arena was the home of the WNBA's Utah Starzz from 1997 to 2002, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles from 1991 to 1994, and the Utah Grizzlies from 1995 to 1997, both of the International Hockey League. On June 8, 1996, the Delta Center hosted what was then the largest crowd in the history of American minor league hockey: 17,381 fans attended game four of the 1996 Turner Cup Finals.[11]
The arena's roof was damaged by severe winds associated with the Salt Lake City Tornado of August 11, 1999, costing US$3.757 million to repair.[12]
Dan Roberts served as the public address announcer for the Jazz, since before the arena was built, before he retired in April 2025.[13]
In 2006, amid the company's bankruptcy, Delta declined to renew its naming rights.[7] A new agreement was reached with Salt Lake City-based radioactive waste disposal company EnergySolutions, renaming it EnergySolutions Arena.[14][15] The new name was unveiled November 20, prior to the Jazz's home game against the Toronto Raptors. Two stickers were placed on the court, covering up the arena's old name with the new one.[16][7] The temporary logos were replaced with official logos on the court sometime in December. EnergySolutions naming rights were set to expire in 2016.[17]
Initial fan reactions to the new name were predominantly negative, leading to calls for the Jazz to re-evaluate the agreement, and the arena receiving fan nicknames mocking EnergySolutions' radioactive and hazardous waste disposal operations (such as "the Chernobowl", "the Dump", "the Fallout Shelter", "Half-Life Arena", "JazzMat", "Radium Stadium", and "the Tox Box").[18][19][20][21] Team owner Larry H. Miller defended the criticism, considering the naming rights "a winner".[18]
On April 15, 2010, over a year after the death of Larry H. Miller, the Jazz basketball court was named in his honor.[22]
On October 26, 2015, the naming rights were acquired by the Lehi-based home security and automation provider Vivint under a ten-year contract.[23][24] On September 21, 2016, the Jazz announced plans to renovate and upgrade the arena. The majority of the construction related to the building's renovation, which cost US$125 million. The construction began at the conclusion of the 2016–17 Utah Jazz basketball season and was completed during fall 2017.[25]
In December 2020, Ryan Smith acquired the Jazz and arena from the Miller family.[26]
On January 14, 2023, Delta announced it would return as naming rights sponsor under a ten-year deal effective July 1, returning to the Delta Center name.[7]
Utah Mammoth arrival, renovations
On April 18, 2024, it was announced that Smith had acquired the hockey operations of the Arizona Coyotes, and that they would be used as the basis of a new National Hockey League (NHL) expansion team tentatively known as the Utah Hockey Club (later renamed the Utah Mammoth) beginning in the 2024–25 NHL season.[27] After the official announcement of the Utah Hockey Club, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the Delta Center will undergo further renovations within the next two seasons which will increase unobstructed seats from 12,000 to 17,000 in hockey configuration.[28]
The first regular season Mammoth game took place on October 8, 2024, with the team defeating the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 5–2. The game was played in front of 16,020, the largest-ever hockey crowd in the history of the arena.[29]
Smith secured US$900 million in funding for renovations to Delta Center and the construction of a surrounding sports and entertainment district. The renovations — which account for US$525 million of this total — began in April 2025 and is expected to last until October 2027.[30]
The renovations began after the team's final home game of their inaugural season with the full reconstruction of the lower bowl: adding new risers to maintain the proximity to the playing surface and eliminate all single-goal/partial-view seats in the lower bowl, lengthen the bowl on each end by 12 feet (3.7 m), and raise the playing surface by two feet (0.6 m). Renovations also included the foundational work on the new parking structure, to be used by premium season-ticket holders, installation of four new dehumidifiers to maintain ice quality year-round, adding new premium areas on the main floor, and increasing restroom capacity by 12 percent.[31][32][33][34]
Future adjustments to the arena include a reconstruction of the upper bowl, which will remove all remaining single-goal-view seats, renovation of suites, clubs, and upper bowl premium seating, a new scoreboard and ribbon, and a further expansion of the east-facing concourse area and plaza to allow for watch parties and other fan-centered festivities.[35]
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Recognition
The Delta Center is well known for being one of the hardest places to play for visiting teams in the NBA. According to an NBA Players Poll taken by Sports Illustrated on February 11, 2008, the Delta Center is considered "the most intimidating arena in the NBA" with 20% of the vote made up of 240 current NBA players.[36] Many commentators referred to the arena as the "Decibel Center," a play on the name "Delta Center." During Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, a decibel meter installed at floor level had readings of over 110 decibels, close to the noise generated by a jet takeoff. Also, during the 1997 NBA Finals, NBC's Hannah Storm called the Delta Center "one of the loudest places in sports."[37]
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Notable events
Winter Olympics
Delta Center hosted figure skating and short track speed skating during the 2002 Winter Olympics. The arena was renamed "Salt Lake Ice Center" for the duration of the Games due to sponsorship rules.[38][39]
It is expected to host hockey during the 2034 Winter Olympics.[29][28]
Other sports
The arena hosted the 1999 U.S. Figure Skating Championships..
The arena held Utah's first UFC event on August 6, 2016, for UFC Fight Night: Rodríguez vs. Caceres.[40] The arena held its first UFC pay-per-view event on August 20, 2022, for UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2.[41] The promotion returned to the arena on July 29, 2023, for UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2.[42] The promotion returned again on October 5, 2024, for UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr.[43]
In 1999 and 2000, the Professional Bull Riders hosted an event at the arena for the Bud Light Cup Series tour,[44][45] and would later return in 2024 for an Unleash the Beast Series event.
Concerts
In addition to sports, the arena was intended to host large music concerts. On October 24, 1991, Oingo Boingo became the first headlining act to play the Delta Center.[46]
See also
- Statue of John Stockton, located outside the southeast corner of the Delta Center
References
External links
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