American Airlines Arena

Miami Heat

About Stadium

A multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue located in Miami, Florida, American Airlines Arena is the home of the National Basketball League’s Miami Heat.

The arena is located right by Biscayne Bay, and is connected to the Miami Metrorail, as well as being in walking distance of the Historic Overtown Theatre Metrorail station.

The Waterfront Theater is inside of the arena and is the state’s biggest theater-type venue. The arena itself holds 80 luxury suites, 76 private boxes, and 2,105 club seats for fans to enjoy the game.

American Airlines Arena shouldn’t be confused with the other NBA stadium in which the company owns naming rights: the American Airlines Center in Dallas, which is the home of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks.

• Capacity: 19,600

• Opened: December 31, 1999

• Location: 601 Biscayne Boulevard

Miami, Florida 33132

History

• The stadium was built beginning in 1998, by Arquitectonica and 360 Architechure, as a much needed replacement for the Miami Heat’s old home arena.

• The stadium was initially opened on December 31, 1999 by singer Gloria Estefan in a New Year’s Eve concert. The opening game for the Miami Heat in the stadium was played on January 2, 2000, in a winning performance against the Orlando Magic by a score of 111-103.

• From 2001 to 2011, the city’s NBC Miami station, WTVJ, operated their downtown studio in the back of the arena.

• The arena played host to the 2012 NBA Finals, in junction with the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, the home of the OKC Thunder, as the Heat defeated the Thunder 3 games to 2 to win the Championship.

• The arena has also shared hosting duties to the NBA Finals in 2013 and 2014 with AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas which is the home of the San Antonio Spurs.

Past and Current Teams

Miami Heat (NBA) (2000–present)
Miami Sol (WNBA) (2000–2002)