FedExForum
A derecho wind storm struck Memphis on the 22nd of July, 2003. It nearly toppled the cranes that were building a new arena near Beale Street. The city had been debating the project for years before this weather event added urgency to the timeline. Officials needed a replacement for the old Pyramid venue which was already obsolete by 2001. The Grizzlies and Tigers shared the old building while construction began in earnest. Public bonds totaling $250 million funded the entire project. FedEx paid $92 million for naming rights to keep the deal alive. The arena officially opened its doors in September 2004 after these delays.
The interior design pays tribute to Memphis musical heritage through paintings and murals. Artists like Justin Timberlake, Elvis Presley, and B.B. King appear on the walls. Opus Restaurant and the Blue Note Lounge carry names connected to music themes. A Lexus Lounge sits just off the Arena Floor with Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 located in the Grand Lobby. The structure covers 805,850 square feet across 14 acres. It holds 18,119 seats for basketball games including 1,000 premiere courtside spots. Twenty-seven courtside suites and thirty-two club suites surround the floor. A full-sized practice court remains visible from the huge lobby area.
A fan of the New Jersey Nets sent an email to NBA Commissioner David Stern about visibility issues. He sat behind the basket at Continental Airlines Arena and could not see the shot clock clearly. Daktronics obliged with transparent units installed at FedExForum in 2004. These new shot clocks allow spectators seated behind the basket to see action without interference. The NBA approved the unit a year later for full use across all venues. Every NBA arena had implemented these transparent clocks by the 2011, 12 season. Pepsi Center and Oracle Arena were among the last to install them after approval.
The facility hosted the college basketball game on the 23rd of February 2008 featuring the No. 1 ranked Memphis Tigers versus the No. 2 ranked Tennessee Volunteers. It held the Conference USA men's basketball tournament from 2005 to 2009. The venue served as the site for South regional semifinals and finals in 2009, 2014, and 2017 editions of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. On the 21st of September 2006, Nashville Predators played Columbus Blue Jackets in the first ice hockey game ever held there. A boxing match between Roy Jones Jr. and Glen Johnson took place on the 25th of September 2004 for the IBF Light heavyweight title. UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez occurred on the 12th of December 2009.
World Wrestling Entertainment's Unforgiven event took place on the 16th of September 2007 headlined by The Undertaker and Mark Henry. Fastlane happened on the 22nd of February 2015 with major professional wrestling events. Daniel Bryan occupied Raw with hundreds of fans inside the ring on the 10th of March 2014. The arena hosted seven episodes of WWE Raw and four of WWE SmackDown. Monster Jam ran for a few years before Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live arrived in 2019. Professional Bull Riders' Built Ford Tough Series tour made their first appearance in August 2010. A memorial service for Memphis native Lorenzen Wright was held on the 4th of August 2010.
The City of Memphis completed normal renovations to keep FedExForum up to NBA standards. In 2012, the arena's sound system was replaced for $200,000 along with the main basketball court. Three years later, backstage areas received new video rooms and renovated coaches offices. An HD scoreboard four times the size of the former unit was installed in 2017. New HD displays and LED lighting were added as part of this project. These upgrades finished in time for the beginning of the 2017-2018 NBA Season. The Grizzlies announced a total renovation cost of $1.8 million to maintain operations.
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Common questions
When did the FedExForum open after construction delays caused by a derecho storm?
The FedExForum officially opened its doors in September 2004 following delays from a derecho wind storm that struck Memphis on the 22nd of July, 2003. Public bonds totaling $250 million funded the project while officials sought a replacement for the obsolete Pyramid venue which was already outdated by 2001.
How much did FedEx pay for naming rights to the FedExForum arena?
FedEx paid $92 million for naming rights to keep the deal alive during the construction phase. The city had been debating the project for years before weather events added urgency to the timeline for completion.
What year were transparent shot clocks installed at the FedExForum and when did they become standard across all NBA venues?
Daktronics installed transparent units at the FedExForum in 2004 to resolve visibility issues for fans sitting behind the basket. The NBA approved the unit a year later for full use across all venues and every NBA arena implemented these transparent clocks by the 2011, 12 season.
Which major sporting events occurred at the FedExForum between 2004 and 2017?
The venue hosted the college basketball game on the 23rd of February 2008 featuring the No. 1 ranked Memphis Tigers versus the No. 2 ranked Tennessee Volunteers. It also served as the site for South regional semifinals and finals in 2009, 2014, and 2017 editions of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
When was the first ice hockey game held at the FedExForum and what wrestling event took place there in 2007?
On the 21st of September 2006, Nashville Predators played Columbus Blue Jackets in the first ice hockey game ever held there. World Wrestling Entertainment's Unforgiven event took place on the 16th of September 2007 headlined by The Undertaker and Mark Henry.