EnergySolutions Arena EnergySolutions Arena ( originally Delta Center ) is an indoor arena , in Salt Lake City , Utah , United States , owned by Jazz Basketball Investors , Inc . , the estate of Larry H . Miller . The arena seats 19 , 911 for basketball , has 56 luxury suites , and 668 club seats . Opened in 1991 , the arena was known as the Delta Center , until EnergySolutions purchased the naming rights , after Delta Air Lines declined to renew their 15 year contact , effective November 20 , 2006 . The arena is the home of the NBA ' s Utah Jazz and the AFL ' s Utah Blaze . The arena was also home to the figure skating and short track speed skating competitions of the 2002 Winter Olympics ( during the Olympics , the arena was referred to as the Salt Lake Ice Center ) . History . The arena was originally imagined as 20 , 000 - seat home for the Utah Jazz and Salt Lake Golden Eagles to replace the since - demolished Salt Palace arena , which had 12 , 616 seats . Under the leadership and private financing of Utah businessman Larry H . Miller , ground was broken on May 22 , 1990 , and it was completed on October 4 , 1991 in time for late - October basketball games , at a cost of $ 93 million . The first game played in the arena was a Golden Eagles match against the Peoria Rivermen on October 16 , 1991 , which the home team lost 4 – 2 . The Eagles had also played the inaugural game in the Salt Palace when it opened on October 10 , 1969 . The Eagles , which were purchased by Miller in 1990 , lost nearly a million dollars annually and would not long play in the Delta Center . The first basketball game played in the arena was a Jazz pre - season loss against Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks , 101 – 95 . In addition to sports , the arena was intended to host large music concerts . On October 24 , 1991 , Oingo Boingo became the first headlining act to rock the Delta Center . The 1993 – 95 Western Athletic Conference men ' s basketball tournaments were held at the facility , as was the 1993 NBA All - Star Game . The Delta Center also hosted games of the and 1998 NBA Finals between the Jazz and Chicago Bulls . The arena ' s roof was damaged by severe winds associated with the Salt Lake City Tornado of August 11 , 1999 , costing $ 3 , 757 , 000 to repair . The facility played host to the 1999 US Figure Skating Championships . The arena was also home to the figure skating and short track speed skating competitions of the 2002 Winter Olympics . In addition to the Utah Jazz and Blaze , the arena has also been the home of the WNBA ' s Utah Starzz from 1997 to 2002 , the Salt Lake Golden Eagles from 1991 to 1994 , and the Utah Grizzlies from 1995 to 1997 , both of the International Hockey League . Notably , on June 8 , 1996 , the Delta Center hosted the largest crowd in the history of American minor league hockey : 17 , 381 fans attended Game 4 of the 1996 Turner Cup Finals . The Grizzlies won 3 – 2 in overtime , completing a four - game sweep of the Orlando Solar Bears and earning the IHL championship in their first season in Utah . In 2002 , the arena upgraded its super system with ribbon display technology and auxiliary scoreboards from Brookings , South Dakota - based Daktronics . The movie " " was partially filmed in the arena . Dan Roberts serves as the official EnergySolutions Arena public address voice for the Jazz . He has been the Jazz ' s home game announcer since before the arena was built . The EnergySolutions Arena is well known for being one of the hardest places to play for visiting teams in the NBA . According to an NBA Players Poll taken by Sports Illustrated on February 11 , 2008 , the ESA is considered " the most intimidating arena in the NBA " with 20 % of the vote made up of 240 current NBA players . Many commentators referred to the arena as the " Decibel Center " , a play on the name " Delta Center " . During Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals , a decibel meter installed at floor level had readings of over 110 decibels , close to the noise generated by a jet takeoff . Also , during the 1997 NBA Finals , Hannah Storm of NBC called the then - named Delta Center " one of the loudest places in sports " EnergySolutions Arena was the site of the West regional semifinals ( " Sweet Sixteen " ) and championship ( " Elite Eight " ) in the 2010 NCAA Men ' s Basketball Tournament . During the summer of 2010 , EnergySolutions Arena was remodeled , which included the installation of Bear ' s Backyard , a playground for kids , a new dining area for adults and over 500 television screens . During the 2012 Utah Jazz Media Day , former General Manager Kevin O ' Connor announced that the building would receive a new jumbo - tron , most likely to be installed during the 2013 off season . Renaming . The first renaming of the arena happened during the Salt Lake City Olympics , due to IOC policies about having corporate sponsorship for venue . The arena was renamed the Salt Lake Ice Center during the games . After Delta Air Lines declined to renew their 15 - year naming rights contract , which expired on September 30 , 2006 , the stadium ' s owner , Larry H . Miller , opted to sell naming rights to EnergySolutions , a low - level nuclear waste disposal company headquartered in Salt Lake City . The new name was unveiled November 20 , prior to the Jazz home game against the Toronto Raptors . Two stickers were placed on the court , covering up the arena ' s old name with the new one . The temporary logos were replaced with official logos on the court sometime in December . EnergySolutions naming rights will expire in 2016 . Initial fan reactions to the new name were predominantly negative . Early nicknames for the arena included " the Dump " , a jab at EnergySolutions ' radioactive and hazardous waste disposal operations . Other suggestions included the Glow Dome , Radium Stadium , the Isotope , ChernoBowl , JazzMat ( short for Jazzardous Materials ) , the Big Bang , the Tox Box , the Power House , the Hot Spot , Plutonium Palace , the Fallout Shelter , the Melta Center , and Energy Pollutions Arena . John Stockton and Karl Malone statues . Outside the arena are statues of two players regarded as among the greatest in the history of the Jazz . The John Stockton statue was unveiled on March 30 , 2005 . The Karl Malone statue was unveiled on March 23 , 2006 . The Jazz played games on each of those nights but lost both games . Larry H . Miller Court . On April 15 , 2010 , over a year after the death of Jazz owner Larry H . Miller , the Jazz basketball court was named in his honor . The official name is Larry H . Miller Court at EnergySolutions Arena