The Shark Tank | |
Location | 4505 S. Maryland Parkway Paradise, Nevada 89119 |
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Coordinates | 36°6′18″N 115°8′39″W / 36.10500°N 115.14417°WCoordinates: 36°6′18″N 115°8′39″W / 36.10500°N 115.14417°W |
Owner | University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
Operator | University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
Capacity |
Basketball: 17,923 *End stage 180°: 14,729 *End stage 270°: 15,736 *End stage 360°: 18,069 *Center stage: 18,574 *Theatre: 9,413 |
Surface | Multi-surface |
Construction | |
Broke ground | October 21, 1981 |
Opened | December 16, 1983 |
Renovated | Undergoing (expected finish 2016) |
Construction cost | $30 million |
Architect | W2C Architects, John Carl Warneeke and Associates and Cambeiro & Cambeiro Ltd. (Artturo Cambeiro, AIA and Domingo Cambeiro) Ellerbe Becket (renovation) |
Structural engineer | John A. Martin & Associates |
General contractor | Perini Building Company |
Tenants | |
UNLV Runnin' Rebels (NCAA) (1983–present) Las Vegas Americans (MISL) (1984–1985) Las Vegas Silver Streaks (WBL) (1988–1990) Las Vegas Thunder (IHL) (1993–1999) Las Vegas Flash (RHI) (1994) Las Vegas Dustdevils (CISL) (1995) Las Vegas Sting (AFL) (1995) Las Vegas Silver Bandits (IBL) (1999–2000) Las Vegas Gladiators (AFL) (2003–2006) Las Vegas Sin (LFL) (2014) Las Vegas Outlaws (AFL) (2015) NBA Summer League (NBA) (2004-present) |
Basketball: 17,923
Boxing: 18,645
Arena Football: 16,606
The Thomas & Mack Center is an arena located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. It is home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team of the Mountain West Conference.
The facility was first opened in the summer of 1983. The gala grand opening was held on December 16, 1983, featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Diana Ross. The facility hosts numerous events, such as concerts, music festivals, conventions and boxing cards. For ring events, the capacity is 19,522; for basketball, the capacity is 18,000.
The arena underwent a major interior and exterior renovation in 1999. 2008 saw the installation of all new visual equipment, which included a 4-sided new center-hung LED widescreen scoreboard, which includes four LED advertising/scoring boards above it and a LED advertising ring below it to replace the one installed in 1995, a partial LED ring beam display covering 80% of the balcony's rim, a new 50' LED scorer's table display, a new shot clock system for the backboards, six wall-mounted locker room game clocks, two new custom scoreboards with fixed digital scoring and complete player stats and a new outdoor marquee LED video billboard.
The facility is named after two prominent Nevada bankers, E. Parry Thomas and Jerome D. Mack, who donated the original funds for the feasibility and land studies. In 2001, a smaller arena, Cox Pavilion, was added to the complex; the two arenas are directly connected. Cox Pavilion is used for smaller events; its main tenants are the UNLV women's basketball and volleyball programs.
Its primary tenant is the UNLV men's basketball team. The arena was nicknamed "the Shark Tank" after Jerry Tarkanian, whose nickname was Tark the Shark. Tarkanian was the UNLV coach when it opened, who won a national championship in 1990 and took the team to three additional Final Fours (four Final Fours overall). It also hosts the National Finals Rodeo annually. It also hosted the PBR World Finals from 1999 to 2015 before the event moved to the new T-Mobile Arena for the 2016 season. The facility also hosted the Las Vegas Thunder of the now defunct International Hockey League. It was also host of the Los Angeles Lakers pre-season games annually in October through 2013. In 2014 and 2015 their games were moved to MGM Grand Garden Arena.