The arena officially opened in September 2004 after much debate and also a derecho wind storm on July 22, 2003, that nearly brought down the cranes that were building it near the famed Beale Street. It was built at a cost of US$250 million and is owned by the City of Memphis; naming rights were purchased by one of Memphis's best-known businesses, FedEx, for $92 million. FedExForum was financed using $250 million of public bonds, which were issued by the Memphis Public Building Authority (PBA).
FedExForum was designed by architectural firm Ellerbe Becket. Concrete work done with the help of Dowco Construction and Apac. The arena is 805,850 ft2 (75,000 m2) in size, covering 14 acres (57,000 m2). The Arena is round, with a dome. The playing floor is lower than ground level. It is capable of seating 18,119[5] for basketball and has 1,000 premiere courtside seats. There are 27 courtside suites, 32 club suites, 4 party suites, and 80 club boxes. It also contains a full-sized practice basketball court, visible from the huge lobby. The plans called for a mass transit bus depot, which brought a federal grant of $6 million, but the depot was changed to a premium parking garage, and Memphis had to return the money.
FedExForum's interior was designed to pay tribute to Memphis' musical heritage, with paintings and murals depicting some of the city's most famous artists including Justin Timberlake, Elvis Presley, and B.B. King. Most of the Arena's restaurants are named in conjunction with FedExForum's overall theme of music with Opus Restaurant and the Blue Note Lounge. The two other restaurants are sponsor-driven with the Lexus Lounge just off the Arena Floor and Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 in the Grand Lobby of the Arena.
On September 25, 2004, FedExForum hosted the Roy Jones Jr. vs. Glen Johnson for the IBF Light heavyweight title. Johnson won the fight with a 9th-round knockout.
On August 4, 2010, FedExForum held the memorial service to Memphis native Lorenzen Wright, a Memphis Tigers alum and former Memphis Grizzlies player.
The Church of God in Christ, Inc. (COGIC) is a Christian organization in the Holiness-Pentecostal tradition. It is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States held their annual Convocation at the FedExForum from 2004 to 2007.
The arena hosted Monster Jam for a few years, then in 2019 hosted Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live.
Renovations
Digital upgrades, which included a new scoreboard, were installed in time for the 2017-18 NBA season.
In order to keep the Grizzlies in Memphis, the City of Memphis has completed normal renovations to FedExForum to keep it up to NBA standards. In 2012, the arena's sound system was replaced[11] and the main basketball court was replaced for the Grizzlies for $200,000,[12] with the Tigers' court being replaced the following year. Three years later, FedExForum completed a renovation for the backstage areas, including a new video room, a renovation of the coaches' offices, and office space for FedExForum employees.[13] In 2017, the Grizzlies announced a $1.8 million renovation to the arena,[14] which includes a HD scoreboard four times the size of the former, new HD displays, new LED Lighting, and other additional fan amenities, which were completed in time for the beginning of the 2017-2018 NBA Season.
