KeyArena at Seattle Center, also known as KeyArena, is located north of downtown Seattle, USA on the grounds of Seattle Center (the site of 1962's Century 21 Exposition, a World's Fair). The arena's primary tenant is the Seattle Storm of the WNBA. It hosted the 1974 NBA All-Star Game and is also used for non-athletic entertainment purposes, such as ice shows, circuses, and concerts. KeyArena was once home to the Seattle SuperSonics. On July 2, 20...
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KeyArena at Seattle Center, also known as KeyArena, is located north of downtown Seattle, USA on the grounds of Seattle Center (the site of 1962's Century 21 Exposition, a World's Fair).
The arena's primary tenant is the Seattle Storm of the WNBA. It hosted the 1974 NBA All-Star Game and is also used for non-athletic entertainment purposes, such as ice shows, circuses, and concerts.
KeyArena was once home to the Seattle SuperSonics. On July 2, 2008 the Oklahoma City based ownership group of the SuperSonics reached a settlement deal with the City of Seattle; releasing the team from the last two years of their lease with the city and allowing the team to relocate to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 NBA season. The SuperSonics name was dissolved. Until July 2, 2008 it was the oldest arena in the NBA.
In addition to being the former home of the NBA in Seattle, it was also home to the Seattle Thunderbirds, a junior hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Thunderbirds hosted the Memorial Cup in the Seattle Center Coliseum pre-KeyArena remodel in 1992.
KeyArena is the first publicly financed arena in the area fully supported by earned income from the building. Its seating capacity for basketball games was 17,098, ice hockey games and ice shows 15,177, end-stage concerts is 16,641, and center-stage concerts and boxing 17,459. Risers hold 7,440 on the upper level and up to 7,741 on the lower level, with luxury suites adding another 1,160 seats.
