Spectrum Center

The Spectrum Center is a large indoor arena located in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina. It is owned by the city of Charlotte and is mainly used by the Charlotte Hornets, a professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The arena can seat 19,444 people for NBA games, and it can be adjusted to hold up to 20,200 for college basketball games. This venue is an important place for sports and entertainment events in the Charlotte area.

History

The Spectrum Center opened in October 2005 as Charlotte Bobcats Arena. In 2008, it was renamed Time Warner Cable Arena after naming rights were purchased. Later, in 2016, following a company purchase, it became the Spectrum Center.

Originally, the arena was meant to host the Charlotte Hornets, but plans changed. After some public voting and discussions, the arena was built without a vote and opened in 2005. It was designed to bring people together with open spaces and artwork. Over the years, the arena has had updates, including a very large new scoreboard and plans for more improvements.

Major events

College basketball

North Carolina is well-known for its college basketball, and the Spectrum Center has hosted many important NCAA basketball games. Some of these games include:

• The NCAA tournament in 2008, 2011, 2015, 2018, and 2024.
• The ACC men's basketball tournament in 2008, 2019, 2025, 2026, and 2028.
• The Southern Conference men's basketball tournament in 2010.
• The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) men's and women's basketball tournaments from 2006 to 2020.

Mixed martial arts

The arena hosted its first UFC event on January 27, 2018, and another event on May 13, 2023.

Other events

In 2012, the Spectrum Center hosted the Democratic National Convention. In 2016, it hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions. It was planned to host the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, but this was changed due to a law in North Carolina. Later, the arena hosted the 2019 NBA All-Star Game. It was also meant to host the 2020 Republican National Convention, but this changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tenants

The Spectrum Center has had two other permanent tenants besides the Hornets. The Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL moved to the arena in fall 2005 from historic Bojangles' Coliseum. They later became an American Hockey League team but stayed at the arena. The arena could fit an ice hockey rink, but many seats didn’t have good views. Because of this, the Checkers moved back to Bojangles' Coliseum in 2015 after playing ten seasons at the Spectrum Center.

The WNBA’s Charlotte Sting also moved to the arena in 2005. They played just one season there in 2006 before stopping because not many people came to watch and they weren’t doing well in games.

Entertainment

The Spectrum Center is not just for sports. It also hosts many fun shows like music concerts, family performances, and even circuses. People come here to enjoy all sorts of entertainment.

The arena has been featured in TV shows too. For example, it was a filming location for an episode of One Tree Hill, and it held auditions for American Idol. It was also used as a main setting for the final episode of Veep.