ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando arena formerly known as Amway Center officially has a new name: Kia Center.
The downtown entertainment venue opened Oct. 1, 2010, keeping the “Amway Center” name for 13 years. From the Orlando Magic’s first official regular home game there against the Washington Wizards later that month to upcoming appearances by world-famous musicians, comedians and more, the arena boasts on its website that it hosts around 225 events and over 1.3 million guests annually.
The new name was shown off Wednesday morning at a triumphant event that began with a spotlit Stuff the Magic Dragon inspecting a Kia EV6 GT and plugging it in, sending a theatric power surge throughout the stands before David Steele — Orlando Magic play-by-play announcer “since the beginning of time,” as he put it — welcomed guests to the refreshed space.
“Good morning, and welcome to Kia Center. How great does that sound?” Steele said. “I ran into a close friend yesterday at lunch who came up to me and we were talking with my wife and he has been a Magic fan since 1989 and he pointed out, he said, ‘You know, it’s really cool that you’ve been a part of the Magic organization from the very beginning. You’ve seen all of the great events on the court and all the big events off the court. The new arena in 1989, this building in 2010, the AdventHealth Training Center last season and now another momentous day in Magic history.”
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The arena’s change of face was at a scale large enough, however, that it was viewable in the hours prior. From what could be seen on News 6 tower cam, the “Kia Center” name was all but confirmed ahead of time.
That belief was reinforced, to say the least, when seeing the arena up close. News 6 reporter Ezzy Castro sent in pictures ahead of the event with even more brand new “Kia Center” signage, complete with a lineup of Kia vehicles on display outside, an AdventHealth sponsorship attribution and graphics commemorating the Orlando Magic’s 35th anniversary season.
“As you know, this year the Magic are celebrating their 35th anniversary as part of the NBA and Kia has been a long partner with the NBA and also has been with the Magic for many years now. In fact, Kia has played a big role in some of our recent franchise history with Paolo Banchero are being named the Kia NBA player of the year last season,” Orlando Magic Chairman Dan DeVos said. “We are incredibly excited to expand its partnership with Orlando and are encouraged by what this will mean for all our fans, for our city and for everyone who comes in touch with Magic basketball. Coincidentally, I happen to also be in the automobile business and happen to be a Kia dealer, very proud of that association with Kia personally for the past 15 years, so I know what quality of a company that they are and the people that are involved with the company and so that makes it really a unique opportunity for me individually.”
Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins said that the team is excited to help Kia drive its brand forward using the power of the NBA, making mention of some new amenities at the arena such as electric vehicle charging stations, the renamed “Kia Terrace” and a hospitality lounge for fans of cars, sports and music alike.
Kia America President and CEO Sean Yoon also spoke at the event, promising that the “high tech venue” will also serve to showcase Kia’s new electric vehicles and educate guests on what the future of the automotive industry has in store for them.
“We have served as the official automotive partner for 16 seasons and during those years we have always looked for ways to expand and to energize our relationship. As you may know, Kia is the official vehicle of the WNBA and the NBA’s G League, but as we’ve seen over the past 16 years, there is plenty, plenty to celebrate, and we are not done yet,” Yoon said. “Today, we enter a new phase of our relationship and the beautiful Kia Center is a perfect example of how we confirm our commitment to the NBA and to the community of Orlando.
Yoon, in a statement released during the event, also mentioned that Kia’s influence in the sports and entertainment sector now stretches coast to coast following its acquisition of the naming rights for the Kia Forum in California in April 2022.
“This building has really been a beacon and a place for people to assemble and make memories with Magic games and Solar Bears games,” Mayor Buddy Dyer said at the event.
Also… @MiamiHEAT is the first team to play the @OrlandoMagic under the new name “The Kia Center” @news6wkmg pic.twitter.com/MANTSutMi9
— Ezzy Castro (@EzzyCastro) December 20, 2023
The Orlando Magic will be playing against the Miami Heat later on Wednesday. This is the first basketball game under the new arena name.
“We get to play the Heat tonight and the state of Florida is completely represented as we open the Kia Center,” Martins said.
Watch the unveiling again in the video player below:
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