Sprint Center

Sprint Center is a large, multi-use indoor arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The building is at 14th Street and Grand Boulevard, on the east side of the Power & Light District. The arena's naming rights partner is the telecommunications company Sprint, whose headquarters is in nearby Overland Park, Kansas. Sprint Center opened on October 10, 2007, and a concert by Elton John three days later was the arena's first event. The arena seats more than 19,000 people and has 72 suites. Sprint Center has effectively replaced Kemper Arena, which was built in 1974, just a few miles away in the southern portion of the West Bottoms. Additionally, the College Basketball Experience, which includes the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, is connected to and directly north of Sprint Center. Sprint Center has hosted the Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament in 2008 and every year since 2010. It also hosted the first and second rounds of the 2009 NCAA Men's Tournament and 2013 NCAA Men's Tournament, as well as the regional rounds of the 2017 NCAA Men's Tournament and the 2010 NCAA Women's Tournament. The arena also was the home of the former Kansas City Command of the Arena Football League . The city of Kansas City has entered into discussions with the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) about possible expansion or relocation of a professional hockey and/or basketball franchise for the arena; however, neither the NHL nor the NBA have yet to approve a team to play in the Sprint Center.