Ball Arena

Lore & Background

The arena replaced McNichols Sports Arena as the home of the Avalanche and Nuggets. Groundbreaking on the 4.6-acre site was held on November 20, 1997, before reaching completion and opening in October 1999. Also included in the complex are a basketball practice facility used by the Nuggets, and the Breckenridge Brewery Mountain House, a restaurant accessible from within and outside the Center itself. The atrium houses a suspended sculpture depicting various hockey and basketball athletes in action poses. Prior to the 2013–14 season, the octagonal scoreboard was replaced with a new four-sided rectangular scoreboard. From its opening through 2020, the naming rights were held by PepsiCo; on October 22, 2020, they were sold to Broomfield-based Ball Corporation as part of a global multi-year agreement with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which also makes it the exclusive 'sustainability partner' of the arena. In May 2022, it was announced that the parking lots around Ball Arena would be redeveloped into a 55-acre mixed-use development; on October 21, 2024, the project was approved as a 64-acre development that will build over 6,000 housing units by 2050. In September 2026, a $135 million renovation was announced that would upgrade the arena by the 2028–29 season.

Reader's Guide

Ball Arena has hosted significant sporting events, including the 2001 NHL All-Star Game and two Stanley Cup Final series in 2001 and 2022, both won by the Avalanche at home. It hosted the 2005 NBA All-Star Game and three games of the 2023 NBA Finals, where the Nuggets won their first championship in franchise history. The arena also hosted the 2008 NCAA Frozen Four, the 2012 NCAA Women's Final Four, and multiple NCAA men's basketball tournament games. In women's hockey, the first Professional Women's Hockey League game in Denver was played on January 12, 2025, setting a new U.S. attendance record for women's hockey with 14,018 fans. The arena hosted UFC events including UFC 135 in 2011 and various WWE broadcasts. A notable scheduling conflict known as the 'Denver Debacle' occurred on May 18, 2009, when WWE cancelled events after the Nuggets were scheduled to play the same date; WWE co-founder Vince McMahon accused arena owner Stan Kroenke of 'inept management,' while a KSE spokesperson denied the accusation. The arena also hosted the majority of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, culminating with the nomination of Barack Obama. The first event at the venue was a sold-out Celine Dion concert on October 1, 1999, dedicated to the Columbine community.

Did You Know?

• On January 12, 2025, a PWHL game at Ball Arena set a U.S. attendance record for women's hockey with 14,018 fans.
• The naming rights were sold to Ball Corporation in 2020, making it the arena's exclusive 'sustainability partner.'

From McNichols to Modern Marvel

Ball Arena rose out of the shadow of the old McNichols Sports Arena, with groundbreaking taking place on November 20, 1997, on a 4.6-acre parcel along Speer Boulevard in downtown Denver. Two years later, in October 1999, the doors opened to a facility that would become the shared home of the Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Avalanche, and the Colorado Mammoth. For over two decades, PepsiCo held the naming rights, branding the venue as Pepsi Center until October 22, 2020, when Ball Corporation stepped in under a global multi-year deal with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. That partnership also made Ball the arena's exclusive sustainability partner, committing all KSE venues to recyclable aluminum packaging in concessions by 2022. The interior has evolved too: the original octagonal scoreboard gave way to a four-sided rectangular unit before the 2013–14 season, and in September 2026, a $135 million renovation was announced to modernize the East Atrium, widen concourses, add three new clubs, and install a glass facade—all targeted for completion by the 2028–29 season.

Championship Nights on Ice and Hardwood

Few arenas can claim the dual honor of hosting both a Stanley Cup Final and an NBA Finals on their floor. Ball Arena did exactly that. The Colorado Avalanche lifted the Stanley Cup on home ice in 2001 and again in 2022, capping both runs with triumphant celebrations in front of their own fans. The venue also hosted the 2001 NHL All-Star Game. On the basketball side, the 2005 NBA All-Star Game brought the league's best to Denver, but the moment that will echo forever came on June 12, 2023, when the Nuggets won Game 5 of the Finals to claim their first championship in franchise history, ending a 47-year title drought. Beyond the pros, the arena has been a recurring stop for college basketball, hosting NCAA Division I men's tournament games in 2004, 2008, 2011, 2016, and 2023, plus the 2012 Women's Final Four. In hockey, it staged the 2007 NCAA Division I west regionals and the 2008 Frozen Four, while the Mountain West men's conference tournament called the building home from 2004 through 2006.

Fists, Cables, and Controversy

Ball Arena has proven a natural stage for combat sports. UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage made its debut at the venue on September 24, 2011, followed by UFC 150 the next August. The promotion returned in 2017 and 2018, and most recently hosted UFC on ESPN: Namajunas vs. Cortez alongside ONE Championship's ONE 168 in 2024. Professional wrestling has also left its mark, with both WWE and the earlier WCW broadcasting television events here. Yet no wrestling story looms larger than the "Denver Debacle" of May 2009. WWE abruptly cancelled three Colorado events, including a Raw taping scheduled for May 25, because the Nuggets were set to play Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Lakers that same night. All three shows were relocated to Staples Center. WWE co-founder Vince McMahon publicly blamed what he called the "inept management" of arena owner Stan Kroenke, while a KSE spokesperson insisted their team had remained professional throughout. The tension spilled onto television: the May 25 Raw opened with a comedic skit pitting an impersonator of Kroenke against McMahon, who jokingly proposed his own basketball league, the XBA, before the main event featured an NBA-themed five-on-five tag match.

A Living Arena and Its Future

Beyond the marquee sports, Ball Arena has become a cultural anchor for Denver. On January 12, 2025, the Professional Women's Hockey League played its first game in the city here, as the Montreal Victoire faced the Minnesota Frost. A crowd of 14,018 packed the building, setting a new attendance record for women's hockey in the United States. The PWHL returned on January 25, 2026, for a Vancouver Goldeneyes versus Seattle Torrent matchup, and again on March 15, 2026, when the New York Sirens took on Minnesota. The arena's footprint extends well past the ice and hardwood: the Breckenridge Brewery Mountain House offers dining accessible from both inside and outside the complex, a suspended sculpture of hockey and basketball athletes hangs in the atrium, and a dedicated Nuggets practice facility sits within the building. Looking ahead, the surrounding parking lots are slated for transformation. Announced in May 2022 and approved by the Denver City Council on October 21, 2024, a 64-acre mixed-use development will deliver over 6,000 housing units by 2050, physically reconnecting the arena to downtown. A light rail station on the western side and two Interstate 25 exits ensure the complex stays woven into the city's daily rhythm.

Gallery