DENVER (KDVR) — Oct. 1 marks the 25th anniversary of the opening of Ball Arena. In its 25 years, the arena has seen thousands of acts take the stage and played home to some of the greatest and most heartbreaking moments in Colorado sports history.
Pepsi Center opening
Now known as the Ball Arena, the venue spent its first 20 years as the Pepsi Center. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on Nov. 20, 1997. But the space wouldn't see its first event until Oct. 1, 1999.
The Pepsi Center started off its career with a statement, hosting Celine Dion as its first act. Dion is one of the highest-grossing touring artists of all time and sold out the arena. She dedicated the christening event to those impacted by the Columbine shooting which happened in April of the same year. She donated the entire six-figure income from the concert to the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance. The first song she played was "Let's Talk About Love," where she was joined by a chorus of children wearing "We are Columbine" shirts.
The first sporting event was held in the arena 12 days later on Oct. 13, when the Colorado Avalanche took on the Boston Bruins. The Avs won the contest 2-1 with Avs icon Milan Hejduk netting the first goal in arena history.
Nearly a month after opening, the Denver Nuggets would have their first game in the new venue on Nov. 2. They were also able to walk away with a win, beating the Phoenix Suns 107-102 in overtime. Nick Van Exel was the Nuggets' star man that day, scoring 32 points to go with 9 rebounds and 9 assists.
Stan Kroenke
On July 7, 2000, a major acquisition would shake up the scene at the Pepsi Center. A Missouri businessman and minority owner of the St. Louis Rams, Stan Kroenke, purchased the Pepsi Center, Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets from Liberty Media Corporation for $404 million after the sale was approved by the NHL and NBA.
“This is an exciting day for me,” said Kroenke. “This is something I've always wanted to do. It's certainly a dream come true for me.”
His company Kroenke Sports and Entertainment still owns the Nuggets, Avs and the renamed Ball Arena 25 years later.
He has also acquired the lacrosse team, the Colorado Mammoth, who call the arena home.
The company has expanded its portfolio to include the Colorado Rapids, Los Angeles Rams, Arsenal FC in London and has dabbled in E-sports with the Los Angeles Gladiators and Los Angeles Guerrillas.
Notable events and milestones
2001
Feb. 4 — Host of the NHL All-Star Game featuring five Avs players.
June 9 — Avs win the Stanley Cup at the Pepsi Center defeating the New Jersey Devils 3-1 in Game 7. Ray Bourque creates an iconic moment lifting the trophy over his head after his final game.
2002
Sept. 2 — A Champ Car Race called the Grand Prix of Denver was held on a 1.647-mile track around the Pepsi Center. The event was won by Bruno Junqueira and the event was held annually until 2006.
2004
March 10-13 — The Mountain West Conference men's tournament is held at the Pepsi Center. Third-seeded Utah defeated UNLV to secure a bid to the NCAA tournament. The Mountain West held its tournament there until 2006.
March 18-20 — The Pepsi Center hosts games from the NCAA's Men's Basketball Tournament for the first time. Texas advanced from the games played in the arena.
2005
Feb. 18-20 — The 54th NBA All-Star Game is hosted at the Pepsi Center. The Eastern All-Stars won the game over the Western All-Stars, 125-115. Former Nugget Allen Iverson won the MVP, Josh Smith won the Slam Dunk Contest and Quentin Richardson won the three-point shootout.
2006
April 22 and 29 — The Colorado Mammoth win consecutive home playoff games to reach the National Lacrosse League championship where they would later win their first championship on the road with a win in Buffalo.
Aug. 13 — The final Grand Prix of Denver is hosted in the arena and won by A.J. Allmendinger.
2007
March 24-25 — The first and second-round games of the NCAA Men's Division 1 Hockey Tournament are hosted by the University of Denver at the arena. North Dakota was the team to advance from the arena to the "Frozen Four."
2008
March 20-22 — The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament returns with first and second-round games that saw Washington State progress from the arena.
April 10-12 — The semi-finals and final of the "Frozen Four" of the NCAA Men's Division 1 Hockey Tournament are held at the arena. Boston College won its third title, beating Notre Dame 4-1 in the final.
Aug. 25-27 — The Democratic National Convention was primarily hosted at the Pepsi Center and saw the nomination of then-Senator Barack Obama as the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party.
2011
March 17-19 — More NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament first and second-round games saw Richmond advance out of the arena.
July 20-22 — Microsoft hosts the Microsoft Global Exchange, its annual sales and management meeting, for 12,500 Microsoft employees.
Sept. 24 — The arena hosts its first UFC event, UFC 135: Jones vs. Rampage. Jon Jones defeated Rampage Jackson for the light heavyweight championship.
2012
April 1-3 — The NCAA Division 1 women's basketball's "Women's Final Four" is hosted at the Pepsi Center. Baylor won its second national championship over Notre Dame, 80-61.
2013
Fall — The original octagon-shaped scoreboard is replaced by a four-sided scoreboard.
2015
March 18-24 — The Pepsi Center hosted the Garth Brooks World Tour which featured nine shows and set a ticket sales record for any consecutive performance run at a venue in Colorado history. The tour became the most successful country music tour of all time.
2016
March 17-19 — Iowa State advances from the first and second-round games of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament hosted at the Pepsi Center.
2018
Nov. 10 — The 25th anniversary of UFC is hosted at the Pepsi Center. UFC Fight Night 139: The Korean Zombie vs. Rodriguez saw Yair Rodriguez defeat Chan Sung Jung in the showcase featherweight matchup.
Dec. 13 — Michelle Obama promotes her memoir, "Becoming," by sitting down for an hour-long interview with Reese Witherspoon as part of a 10-city tour.
2019
Oct. 25 — The Pepsi Center became the first major professional sports arena in the U.S. to use Ball Corp's "infinitely recyclable" aluminum cups.
2020
March 7 — Oprah sat down for an interview with Gayle King on the sold-out last stop of her "Oprah's 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus Arena Tour."
Oct. 22 — The Pepsi Center becomes the Ball Arena after Ball Corp acquires the naming rights.
2021
Sept. 7 — International superstar, Harry Styles, visits with his "Love On Tour" and produces the highest-grossing merchandise sale in the history of the arena.
2022
June 11 — The Mammoth win Game 2 of the three-game NLL Championship Series at Ball Arena. They traveled to Buffalo where they were able to secure the title in Game 3 in a repeat of their 2006 victory.
June 15-18 — The Avs win their first two home games of the Stanley Cup Finals before beating the Tampa Bay Lightning on the road in Game 6 to claim their third Stanley Cup.
2023
Jan. 27 — The DU men's ice hockey team played their first-ever regular season game at the arena and beat rival, Colorado College, 2-0, in the "Gold Pan" game.
March 17-19 — Gonzaga advances from the first and second round games of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
June 12 — The Nuggets delivered their first-ever NBA championship to the franchise by defeating the Miami Heat, 94-89, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Nikola Jokic was voted as the unanimous NBA Finals MVP.
Nov. 15 — Ball Corp. and Kroenke Sports and Entertainment unveil a 16-foot Infinity Monument outside of the Grand Atrium entrance that depicts the infinite recyclability of aluminum to showcase their commitment to sustainability in entertainment.
2024
March 20 — Globally known Puerto Rican rapper, Bad Bunny, held a concert at Ball Arena and produced the highest-grossing event in the history of the area.
The Ball Arena hosts over 250 events per year. With more than two-thirds of the days in a year covered by events, there is always something happening at the local arena.
After celebrating its 25th year on Oct. 1, the arena will soon host the first Avs' game of the season on Oct. 13, followed closely by the Nuggets' home season opener on Oct. 24.
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