FedExForum
On the 22nd of July, 2003, a derecho swept through downtown Memphis and nearly toppled the cranes building FedExForum. The arena was still under construction near the famed Beale Street when the storm hit. The cranes held. FedExForum officially opened in September 2004, after what accounts describe as much public debate. The $250 million project was financed through public bonds issued by the Memphis Public Building Authority. FedEx, one of Memphis's best-known companies, paid $92 million for the naming rights. The Memphis Grizzlies and the University of Memphis men's basketball program both moved in, each having previously played home games at the Memphis Pyramid. Why Memphis chose to build from scratch rather than renovate is a question that starts with the Vancouver Grizzlies. Once inside the finished building, an innovation quietly launched here would eventually reach every NBA arena in the country.
The Memphis Pyramid was built in 1991 as the city's main indoor entertainment venue. When city officials began courting an NBA franchise, the options under consideration were the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Charlotte Hornets. Despite being only ten years old, the Pyramid was already obsolete by NBA standards of the time. Retrofitting it would have been prohibitively expensive and would have required closing the arena for an entire season. Memphis chose to build new instead.
When the Grizzlies moved to Memphis for the 2001-02 season, they temporarily shared the Pyramid with the Memphis Tigers men's basketball team. The new arena was already under construction nearby.
Ellerbe Becket, the architectural firm that designed FedExForum, produced a building covering 14 acres and totaling 805,850 square feet. It is round, topped with a dome, and its playing floor sits below street level. The arena seats 18,119 for basketball and provides 1,000 premiere courtside seats. Inside are 27 courtside suites, 32 club suites, 4 party suites, and 80 club boxes. Visitors in the main lobby can see directly into a full-sized practice basketball court.
A $6 million federal grant was initially tied to plans for a mass transit bus depot inside the complex. Those plans were replaced by a premium parking garage. Memphis had to return the money.
Justin Timberlake, Elvis Presley, and B.B. King are among the artists whose likenesses appear in the murals and paintings throughout FedExForum's interior. The designers made Memphis's musical heritage the guiding theme for the whole building. Most of the arena's restaurants carry names connected to that theme. The Opus Restaurant and the Blue Note Lounge signal their musical connection directly. The Lexus Lounge sits just off the arena floor. Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 occupies the grand lobby. Both are named for corporate sponsors rather than musical themes.
Among the first things FedExForum introduced was a technology the NBA had never used before. It started with a piece of fan mail.
A fan of the New Jersey Nets who sat behind the basket at Continental Airlines Arena sent an email to NBA Commissioner David Stern. The complaint was straightforward: the shot clock blocked his view of the action. Daktronics took on the engineering challenge and designed a see-through shot clock unit. The new technology was first installed at FedExForum in 2004. Transparent panels let fans seated directly behind either basket watch the game without the clock cutting across their line of sight.
A year after FedExForum's debut with the new clocks, the NBA approved the design for league-wide use. Installations followed at Wells Fargo Center, Spectrum Center, TD Garden, Moda Center, Capital One Arena, State Farm Arena, and Staples Center. By the 2011-12 NBA season, every arena in the league had adopted the transparent units. The Pepsi Center, The Palace of Auburn Hills, Oracle Arena, Target Center, and ARCO Arena were among the last to make the switch.
While the shot clock was still spreading around the league, the arena was also hosting heavyweight title fights and championship wrestling.
Roy Jones Jr. entered FedExForum on the 25th of September, 2004, to defend the IBF Light heavyweight title against Glen Johnson. Johnson stopped him with a knockout in the ninth round.
On the 27th of April, 2007, the PMG Clash of Legends came to FedExForum. The independent wrestling show featured Hulk Hogan against Paul Wight. Later that year, on the 16th of September, WWE's Unforgiven pay-per-view arrived, headlined by The Undertaker against Mark Henry. FedExForum has hosted seven episodes of WWE Raw and four of WWE SmackDown. On the 10th of March, 2014, Daniel Bryan led hundreds of fans into the ring and surrounding the ringside area during a live Raw broadcast.
On the 12th of December, 2009, FedExForum hosted UFC 107, a lightweight title fight between Penn and Sanchez.
On the 23rd of February, 2008, FedExForum hosted a college basketball game between the first-ranked Memphis Tigers and the second-ranked Tennessee Volunteers. The arena served as home to Conference USA's men's basketball tournament from 2005 to 2009. It hosted the South regional semifinals and finals in the 2009, 2014, and 2017 NCAA tournaments. First- and second-round games followed in 2024. The American Athletic Conference held its inaugural men's basketball tournament at FedExForum from the 12th to the 15th of March, 2014, and returned in 2019.
On the 21st of September, 2006, the Nashville Predators defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 8-1 in an NHL preseason game. It was the first ice hockey match ever played inside FedExForum.
The Church of God in Christ, a Holiness-Pentecostal denomination based in Memphis, held its annual Convocation at FedExForum from 2004 to 2007. In August 2010, the Professional Bull Riders' Built Ford Tough Series made its first appearance at the arena. Monster Jam ran there for several years before Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live took its place in 2019. On the 4th of August, 2010, FedExForum hosted the memorial service for Lorenzen Wright. He had played for both the Memphis Tigers and the Grizzlies and was a Memphis native.
In 2012, the City of Memphis replaced FedExForum's sound system and the Grizzlies' main basketball court. The court replacement cost $200,000. The Memphis Tigers' court was replaced the following year. Three years after that, the arena completed a backstage renovation. It included a new video room, updated coaches' offices, and additional office space for arena employees.
In 2017, the Grizzlies announced a $1.8 million upgrade to FedExForum. The centerpiece was a new HD scoreboard four times the size of the one it replaced. New HD displays, LED lighting, and additional fan amenities were all completed in time for the 2017-18 NBA season.
FedExForum is owned by the City of Memphis. So long as the Grizzlies play there, the city's responsibility to maintain it to NBA standards will continue.
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Common questions
When did FedExForum open in Memphis?
FedExForum officially opened in September 2004. Construction was nearly disrupted on the 22nd of July, 2003, when a derecho wind storm almost toppled the building's cranes near Beale Street.
How much did it cost to build FedExForum?
FedExForum was built at a cost of $250 million, financed through public bonds issued by the Memphis Public Building Authority. FedEx separately paid $92 million for the naming rights.
Who designed FedExForum and how large is it?
Ellerbe Becket designed FedExForum. The building covers 14 acres and totals 805,850 square feet, with a round shape, a dome, and a playing floor set below street level. It seats 18,119 for basketball and includes 1,000 premiere courtside seats, 27 courtside suites, 32 club suites, 4 party suites, and 80 club boxes.
What teams play at FedExForum?
The Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA and the University of Memphis men's basketball program are the primary tenants of FedExForum. Both previously played at the Memphis Pyramid, which was built in 1991 but was considered obsolete for NBA purposes despite being only ten years old.
What was the transparent shot clock innovation introduced at FedExForum?
FedExForum was the first arena to install see-through shot clock units, introduced in 2004. The idea came from a New Jersey Nets fan who emailed NBA Commissioner David Stern about obstructed sight lines from seats behind the basket; Daktronics engineered the solution. By the 2011-12 NBA season, every NBA arena had adopted the technology.
What notable events beyond basketball has FedExForum hosted?
FedExForum hosted the IBF Light heavyweight title fight between Roy Jones Jr. and Glen Johnson on the 25th of September, 2004, the first NHL game at the arena on the 21st of September, 2006, and UFC 107 on the 12th of December, 2009. It has also held WWE pay-per-view events including Unforgiven in 2007 and Fastlane in 2015, multiple NCAA tournament regionals, and the inaugural American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament in March 2014.
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14 references cited across the entry
- 1FedExForumEllerbe Becket
- 3FedExForumPC Sports
- 4NewsPyramid passe as professional sports venueRob Johnson — April 10, 2001
- 5Memphis Grizzlies2006
- 6Fans Like NBA's See-Through Shot ClocksNovember 19, 2005
- 10Memphis Invitational Presented by Cooper TiresProfessional Bull Riders
- 14NewsMemphis Daily News