MCI Center

Lore & Background

The arena was built on a block between 6th and 7th and F and G Streets. Before its opening, the Wizards (then the Washington Bullets) played at USAir Arena in Landover, Maryland. Owner Abe Pollin privately funded the $200 million construction; the District paid $79 million for land, site preparation, and Metro station expansion. The groundbreaking was in October 1995, and the first event was a Phish concert on December 2, 1997, with the first Wizards game following on December 5, 1997, against the Seattle SuperSonics, with President Bill Clinton in attendance. The arena was noted for vertical seating and arenaNet stations. In 1999, Ted Leonsis bought a 36% stake, later increasing to 44%. After Pollin's death in 2009, Leonsis's Monumental Sports & Entertainment gained full ownership in June 2010. In 2023, Monumental considered moving the Wizards to a new arena in Northern Virginia, but in March 2024, a deal was signed to keep the teams in Washington at least until 2050, with a massive renovation planned.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the MCI Center hummed with an electric tension unique to Washington basketball. Under the bright arena lights, the hardwood gleamed as fans in purple and gold packed the lower bowl, their chants echoing off the high ceilings. A player dribbled past the half-court line, the squeak of sneakers punctuating the silence before a collective gasp erupted from the crowd. In that moment, surrounded by the history of downtown D.C., it felt like anything was possible.

Reader's Guide

Capital One Arena is located atop the Gallery Place Metro station. It is owned and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment. The arena underwent a $30 million renovation in 2019–2020, including new seating, a larger video board, and a SkyRing screen. In July 2020, a William Hill sportsbook opened at the arena, the first brick-and-mortar sportsbook in the District and the first at a U.S. professional sports venue.

Did You Know?

• The arena opened as MCI Center on December 2, 1997, with a Phish concert; the first Wizards game was on December 5, 1997, against the Seattle SuperSonics.
• The arena's naming rights were purchased by Capital One in 2017.
• The arena was home to the Washington Mystics of the WNBA from 1998 to 2018.
• A block of F Street NW outside the arena was declared Fun Street, later renamed Abe Pollin Way in 2007.