Stockton Arena is an indoor

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectato ...

in Stockton, California. It opened in December 2005 and seats a maximum of 12,000 fans. It is the home venue of the

Stockton Kings The Stockton Kings are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Stockton, California, and are affiliated with the Sacramento Kings. The Kings play their home games at the Stockton Arena and compete in the G League' ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

. Former tenants include the

Stockton Heat The Stockton Heat were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2015 to 2022. The team was based in Stockton, California, and was affiliated with the National Hockey League (NHL) Calgary Flames. The He ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

, the

Stockton Lightning The Stockton Lightning were a professional arena football team based in Stockton, California. They were members of the Western Division of the National Conference of the arenafootball2 (af2). The Lightning joined af2 2006 as an expansion team. ...

arenafootball2 team, the Stockton Cougars Professional Arena Soccer League team, the Stockton Wolves independent indoor football team, the California Eagles

American Indoor Football American Indoor Football (AIF) was a professional indoor football league, one of the several regional professional indoor football leagues in North America. The AIFL began as a regional league with six franchises on the East Coast of the United ...

professional indoor football team and the Stockton Thunder of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). Th ...

from 2005 until 2015. The Stockton Arena is part of a downtown, waterfront entertainment center which includes Banner Island Ballpark, the home of the

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at ...

minor league baseball team and the University Plaza Waterfront Hotel, all part of the

Stockton Waterfront Events Center The Stockton Waterfront Events Center is a commercial complex in Stockton, California on the Stockton waterfront. Also known as the Waterfront Entertainment Complex, it includes the 12,000-seat Stockton Arena, the 5,000-seat Banner Island Ball ...

History

The Arena is part of a master-planned waterfront design on the western edge of the downtown Central Business District. The

360 Architecture 360 Architecture was an American architectural practice acquired by HOK in 2015. The firm provided services for a range of project types including corporate headquarters and commercial office buildings, sports arenas, stadiums and ballparks, m ...

designed venue is situated next to the Stockton Ballpark. A multi-purpose sporting and event center, the arena was envisioned as part of the region's quality of life improvements. Construction delays and inclement weather caused the Stockton Thunder and California Cougars to play on extended road trips during the beginning of their 2005/2006 season. Stockton Arena opened its doors to the public on December 2, 2005 with a Neil Diamond concert. The first sporting event was a Stockton Thunder hockey game on December 10, 2005 in front of a sold out crowd of 10,117, a game where the Thunder beat the Phoenix RoadRunners, 4–0.

Events

The Stockton Arena hosted the 2008 ECHL All-Star Game, WWE

house show A house show or live event is a professional wrestling event produced by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive d ...

s for both SmackDown/ ECW and Raw, and the July 26, 2008 EliteXC: Unfinished Business MMA event. On March 15, 2009, the California Cougars won their first ever league championship in the Stockton Arena, as the 2008–2009 PASL-Pro North American Champions. On December 9, 2009, the arena hosted the "Stockton Showcase" which featured a matchup between the nationally ranked

California Golden Bears The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club team ...

and the

Pacific Tigers The Pacific Tigers represent the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, in intercollegiate athletics. The Tigers compete in NCAA Division I, and are currently in their second stint as members of the West Coast Conference (WCC). Con ...

men's

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

teams in front 8,704 fans, the largest crowd ever to see a Pacific Tigers basketball game in Stockton. On June 19, 2014, the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertain ...

announced that the arena would host a split-squad exhibition game featuring the Sharks and the

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

on September 23. The Sharks won 5–3. On August 29, 2015, the arena hosted ArenaBowl XXVIII, which featured the Jacksonville Sharks and the San Jose SaberCats, with the SaberCats winning in what would be their final game.

References

External links

Official website
{{NBA G League arenas American Basketball Association (2000–present) venues Arena football venues Indoor arenas in California Indoor ice hockey venues in California Indoor soccer venues in California Mixed martial arts venues in California Music venues completed in 2005 NBA G League venues Sports venues completed in 2005 Sports venues in Stockton, California Stockton Kings Music venues in California Tourist attractions in San Joaquin County, California Buildings and structures in Stockton, California 2005 establishments in California