GSU SPORTS ARENA

Fast Facts

• The Georgia State Sports Arena serves as the "Home of the Panthers" for both men's and women's basketball, volleyball and the Athletic Department office.
• The Sports Arena provides a seating capacity of 3,854 fans for basketball and volleyball. Construction for the Sports Arena, located at the corner of Decatur Street and Piedmont Avenue in downtown Atlanta, began in 1972.
• The men's basketball team played the first games in the arena in 1973. On Dec. 12, 2003, the playing surface was officially named Charles "Lefty" Driesell Court in honor of Georgia State's former men's basketball coach. A ceremony honoring Driesell took place during halftime of the Panthers' 88-56 victory over South Alabama.
• The first men's basketball game played at the Sports Arena was on March 10, 1973, against Georgia Tech. Georgia State won 77-73.
• The first women's basketball game was played in November, 1975 vs. Troy.  Georgia State won 79-49.
• The first volleyball match was played in September, 1975 vs. Mercer of Atlanta.
• The venue has seen many upgrades over the years, including a new HD scoreboard in the summer of 2015 along with a new floor and new speakers in the summer of 2016.

MULTI-PURPOSE FACILITY
As a multi-purpose facility, the Sports Arena has played host to a wide range of athletic events and concerts. In 1996, the venue was used to host all badminton competitions during the Summer Olympic Games. The Sports Arena played host to ESPN's 14th and 19th Annual College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships in 2002 and 2007, respectively. Additionally, in 2000, pop-band *NSYNC attracted a record-breaking sellout crowd for an exhibition basketball game before Super Bowl XXXIV.

Other entertainers to perform include: Kendrick Lamar, Steve Harvey, Ludacris, Trey Songz, Gym Class Heroes, Tyler Perry, Alice Walker, Jay Leno, Dana Carvey, Jamie Foxx, The Spinners, the Beastie Boys, Cheap Trick and the Harlem Globetrotters.

The Sports Arena also hosts such community activities as the commencement ceremonies for several area high schools, American Cancer Society Relay-for-Life, University Blood Drive, University Career Fairs, December Commencement Exercises and May Commencement Exercises for Georgia State.

For rental information, please contact the Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities Patrick Hather at (404) 413-4049 or via e-mail at phatcher@gsu.edu.