Lee's Family Forum

Lee's Family Forum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Henderson, Nevada. Built on the site of the former Henderson Pavilion, it is the home of the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League, the Vegas Knight Hawks of the Indoor Football League, the Vegas Thrill of the Pro Volleyball Federation, the home of the Las Vegas Desert Dogs^[3] of the National Lacrosse League, and the former home of the NBA G League Ignite of the NBA G League.^[4] The City of Henderson is the building owner with the National Hockey League's Vegas Golden Knights as its operator.^[5]

Lee's Family Forum

The arena as seen in 2022
Lee's Family Forum Location within Nevada Show map of Nevada Lee's Family Forum Location within the United States Show map of the United States
Former names	Henderson Event Center (planning/construction) The Dollar Loan Center (2020–2024)
Address	200 S Green Valley Pkwy
Location	Henderson, Nevada
Coordinates	36.018977°N 115.081632°W / 36.018977; -115.081632
Owner	City of Henderson
Operator	Black Knight Sports and Entertainment
Capacity	5,567[1]
Construction
Opened	March 8, 2022[2]
Construction cost	$84 million
Architect	Klai Juba Wald Architects Perkins + Will
Structural engineer	Walter P Moore
General contractor	Whiting-Turner
Tenants
Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) (2022–present) Vegas Knight Hawks (IFL) (2022–present) NBA G League Ignite (NBAGL) (2022–2024) Vegas Thrill (PVF) (2024–present) Las Vegas Desert Dogs (NLL) (2024–present)
Website
Venue website

History

The arena was announced in February 2020,^[6] and was built at a cost of $84 million,^[7] on the former site of the Henderson Pavilion amphitheater.^[8] Some residents opposed the project because of its location and potential increase on traffic, as well as its use of public financing.^[9][10][11] The Henderson Pavilion was demolished later in 2020,^[12] and work on the arena was underway soon thereafter.^[13]

Initially called the Henderson Event Center, a naming rights partnership was announced in March 2021 with Dollar Loan Center, a Las Vegas-based short-term loan company. Under the deal, the arena was named The Dollar Loan Center,^[14] disambiguated with the article "The" to differentiate it from the company.^[15] The venue hosted its first event on March 8, 2022.^[16]

Dollar Loan Center allowed its naming rights to expire on April 1, 2024, and be purchased by the owners of Lee's Discount Liquor. The arena was renamed as Lee's Family Forum, in honor of company founder Hae Un Lee and his son Kenny Lee.^[17][18]

Events

Lee's Family Forum seats 5,567 for hockey and football.^[1] The arena was constructed primarily to serve as the home of the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League (AHL). The Vegas Golden Knights, of the National Hockey League, purchased the AHL franchise known then as the San Antonio Rampage in February 2020, from Spurs Sports & Entertainment. The sale of the team and its relocation to the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson was approved by the AHL Board of Governors later that month.^[19] The first Silver Knights game played at the arena was on April 2, 2022.^[20]

In May 2021, the Indoor Football League (IFL) announced that Bill Foley, owner of the Vegas Golden Knights, had purchased an IFL franchise to compete at The Dollar Loan Center.^[21] On August 23, 2021, Foley announced that the team would be known as the Vegas Knight Hawks and that Mike Davis would be the franchise's general manager and head coach.^[22] On May 10, 2022, it was announced that the IFL National Championship game would be played at The Dollar Loan Center for the 2022–2024 seasons.^[23]

The Big West Conference announced on June 24, 2021, that the men's and women's basketball championships would be held at The Dollar Loan Center starting in 2022 – the tournament was the first ticketed event held at the arena.^[24]

Since 2022, the Ball Dawgs Classic (known as the Vegas 4 in its inaugural year) has been played at the arena.^[25]

See also

• List of indoor arenas in the United States

References

• Nevada portal

1. "About The DLC". Retrieved March 10, 2022.
2. "Dollar Loan Center opens, hosts Big West Basketball Championships". March 8, 2022.
3. "DESERT DOGS ANNOUNCE NEW HOME AT LEE'S FAMILY FORUM IN HENDERSON FOR 2024-25 SEASON". Retrieved August 30, 2024.
4. "Introducing The Henderson Silver Knights". Retrieved May 28, 2020.
5. "Renderings released of Henderson Event Center, future home of Silver Knights". Retrieved June 10, 2020.
6. Apgar, Blake (February 13, 2020). "Golden Knights announce AHL team will play in new Henderson arena". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
7. Brewer, Ray (March 10, 2022). "A tour of Dollar Loan Center: $84 million, 200,000-square-foot arena makes its debut". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
8. Gillan, Jeff (March 3, 2022). "City of Henderson unveils new hockey arena; mayor touts growth". KSNV. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
9. Olvera, Kaitlyn (May 13, 2020). "City of Henderson to discuss $84M cost of new Event Center at Tuesday's city council meeting". KLAS. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
10. Apgar, Blake (May 18, 2020). "Henderson residents start process to put arena project on the ballot". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
11. Apgar, Blake (July 23, 2020). "Group ends fight to stop publicly backed Henderson hockey arena". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
12. Bleakley, Caroline (August 24, 2020). "Crews demolish Henderson Pavilion to make way for new arena". KLAS. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
13. Emerson, Justin (October 29, 2020). "Silver Knights excitement builds as Henderson Event Center takes shape". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
14. "VGK & HSK Announce Naming Rights Partnership With Dollar Loan Center For Henderson Event Center". hendersonsilverknights.com (Press release). March 30, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
15. "The Dollar Loan Center | Henderson, NV". www.cityofhenderson.com. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
16. Miller, Shannon (March 17, 2022). "Green Valley meets its newest resident, Dollar Loan Center". Las Vegas Weekly. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
17. "Henderson arena gets new name 2 years after opening". KLAS. April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
18. Akers, Mick (April 3, 2024). "Dollar Loan Center cashes out of Henderson arena, new name revealed". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
19. "AHL Approves VGK Franchise Membership Purchase And Relocation". Retrieved February 28, 2020.
20. "AHL Silver Knights to end 2021–22 schedule in new home". Las Vegas Review-Journal. July 23, 2021.
21. "Vegas Golden Knights buy Indoor Football League expansion franchise". KSNV-TV. May 11, 2021.
22. "Vegas Knight Hawks are the Newest Team in the IFL". Vegas Knight Hawks. August 21, 2021.
23. "IFL ANNOUNCES THREE YEAR PARTNERSHIP TO BRING CHAMPIONSHIP TO HENDERSON, NV". GoIFL.com. May 10, 2022.
24. "Big West Basketball Championships Moving To Dollar Loan Center". bigwest.org. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
25. "Vegas 4 announced for Nov. 21-23 at the Dollar Loan Center". September 12, 2022.

External links

• Official website

Events and tenants
Preceded by Orleans Arena	Home of the Henderson Silver Knights 2022–present	Succeeded by Current Arena
Preceded by Expansion Team	Home of the Vegas Knight Hawks 2022–present	Succeeded by Current Arena
Preceded by Ultimate Fieldhouse (in Walnut Creek, California)	Home of the NBA G League Ignite 2022–2024	Succeeded by Franchise Disestablished
Preceded by Michelob Ultra Arena	Home of the Las Vegas Desert Dogs 2024-present	Succeeded by Current Arena