Editing Climate Pledge Arena (section)

===Rebirth as KeyArena===
[[File:KeyArena (2890740573).jpg|thumb|200px|KeyArena in 2008]]
Newly elected Seattle mayor [[Norm Rice]] was concerned over a loss of concerts and events to cities with larger, more modern facilities, and the strong possibility the city could lose the Sonics. The mayor believed that sports unite a community and that Seattle Center would continue to serve as a valuable hub for tourism. At his insistence, a Center commission developed a plan to renovate the Coliseum by excavating the floor to lower it and build a new bowl with more seating. The Ackerleys turned down the renovation concept in favor of building their own arena in SoDo. Though the city preferred the renovation, they would reluctantly agree to the new arena plan. After the SoDo proposal fell through, the Ackerleys attempted to find other investors to no avail. Barry Ackerley would return to the city to ask if they would still consider renovating the Coliseum.

[[File:Key Arena.jpg|thumb|200px|Interior of KeyArena when it served as the home of the Seattle SuperSonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder)]]
With renewed interest on all sides, including the city council, the city spent $250,000 studying if it was even environmentally and engineeringly feasible to dig into the ground beneath the building. The plan proved possible and it was found that the compression ring holding the roof could be preserved, saving $15 million in cost and keeping the facility seismically sound against earthquakes. The original cable-suspended roof would be replaced by a conventional fixed roof with steel trusses that would preserve the well-known shape.

The project had an estimated cost of $73.4 million, considerably less than other new arenas of the time in Portland and Vancouver, to be paid with the city's bond capacity. A new kitchen and support building, a parking garage on 1st Avenue N, a new team store, and a tunnel connecting the store to the arena brought the total cost to nearly $127.3 million. New amenities would include 22 concession stands, 8 portable stands with vending in the seating, three private sports clubs, and a public sports bar and restaurant. [[Club seating|Club-level seating]] with 1,100 seats would also offer exclusive club, concession, and lounge areas, and a private concourse with 58 luxury suites would also be added.

A mandate of the project was that no taxpayer funds could be used to pay for it. This brought concern from the Ackerleys, but after nearly a year of negotiations a revenue sharing plan was developed. The city and the team would split revenues from suites, concessions, and other items all within the arena to service the debt for the city and provide income to the team. The arena would be the first to finance itself by use of the arena. In May 1993, the city council voted 7–2 in favor of the deal with the Sonics signing a 15-year lease agreement and a guaranteed income of $7 million per year during the lease. The agreement was initially turned down in council committee in the hopes of negotiating a 20-year lease with an increased guaranteed income of $9 million per year starting in year 15. The Ackerleys declined these changes.

[[File:KeyArena pano.jpg|thumb|200px|Panorama of the former interior of KeyArena]]

The Coliseum was rebuilt between 1994 and 1995, bringing the arena up to the NBA standards of the day. The local Seattle office of [[NBBJ]], the second largest architectural firm in the country, was chosen as the architects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ballpark.org/design.htm |title=PFD: Ballpark Beginnings |access-date=January 27, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227031932/http://www.ballpark.org/design.htm |archive-date=February 27, 2012}}</ref><ref name="DJC" /> In an unusual move, the Coliseum would be closed for a year during the renovation. Construction began on June 16, 1994.<ref name="Storm" /> During the [[1994–95 Seattle SuperSonics season|1994–95]] season, the SuperSonics played their home games at the multi-purpose [[Tacoma Dome]] in [[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]], about {{convert|30|mi|-1|spell=in}} south.<ref name=crnvntac/>

On April 11, 1995, the city sold the naming rights to [[Cleveland]]-based KeyCorp, the parent of [[KeyBank]], which renamed the Coliseum as KeyArena.<ref name="clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us">{{cite web |url=http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~scripts/nph-brs.exe?d=CBOR&s1=116474.cbn.&Sect6=HITOFF&l=20&p=1&u=/~public/cbor2.htm&r=1&f=G|title=Seattle Ordinance 122944|quote=AN ORDINANCE relating to the Seattle Center Department; authorizing execution of an agreement with KeyCorp that terminates a prior agreement between the parties and replaces it with a new agreement for the title sponsorship of KeyArena at Seattle Center.|publisher=City of Seattle|access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref> The renovation cost the city of Seattle $74.5 million and the SuperSonics approximately $21 million. The naming rights cost KeyCorp $15.1 million.

[[File:Keyarena-hockey.jpg|thumb|right|KeyArena's former ice hockey seating configuration]]

The remodeled arena maintained the architectural integrity of the original roofline by using the existing steel trusses in combination with four new main diagonal trusses. The wood, steel and concrete from the demolition was either reused in construction of the new arena or sold to recyclers. The original acoustical panels, the panels attached to the roof that keep the space from echoing, were refurbished and reused. The court was lowered {{convert|35|ft|0}} below street level to allow for 3,000 more seats. The doors opened to the newly renovated arena on October 26, 1995. The sightlines, however, benefitted the SuperSonics at the expense of the junior Thunderbirds. The floor was just barely large enough to fit a regulation ice rink. Many seats in the lower level were so badly obstructed that almost half the lower level was curtained off for T-Birds games. The new scoreboard was significantly off-center in the ice hockey configuration, hanging over one blue line instead of the center-ice faceoff circle.

The first regular season game for the SuperSonics at the rechristened KeyArena was played on November 4, [[1995–96 Seattle SuperSonics season|1995]], against the [[1995–96 Los Angeles Lakers season|Los Angeles Lakers]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vividseats.com/venues/key-arena-tickets.html|title=KeyArena Tickets – KeyArena Ticket Info & Seating|publisher=Vivid Seats|access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref> The renovated arena hosted the [[1996 NBA Finals]] in its first season, when the SuperSonics lost to the [[1995–96 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago Bulls]] in six games.

====Seattle SuperSonics relocation controversy====
{{main|Seattle SuperSonics relocation to Oklahoma City}}
[[File:Last Sonics Game 2008.jpg|thumb|200px|Last Sonics game in 2008]]
In 2001, ownership of the [[Seattle SuperSonics]] (who had called KeyArena home on-and-off since their establishment in 1967) transferred from Barry Ackerley to [[Starbucks]] CEO [[Howard Schultz]]. Schultz claimed that in the five years he owned the SuperSonics, the team suffered heavy financial losses, which led him to seek funding from the [[Washington State Legislature]] for a newer, more modern arena. After failing to reach an agreement with the city of Seattle over a publicly funded $220 million expansion of KeyArena, the Basketball Club of Seattle, led by Schultz, put the SuperSonics and its sister team, the WNBA's [[Seattle Storm]] up for sale. After failing to find a local ownership group to sell the team to, Schultz talked to ownership groups from [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]], [[St. Louis]], [[Las Vegas]], [[San Jose, California|San Jose]] and [[Anaheim, California|Anaheim]] before agreeing to sell the team on July 18, 2006 <ref name="initialsale">{{cite news|author1=Angela Galloway|author2=Phuong Cat Le|title=Sonics sold to ownership group from Oklahoma City|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/basketball/277945_sonics18ww.html|work=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]|date=July 18, 2006|access-date=July 18, 2006}}</ref><ref name="BasketballClubOfSeattleAnnouncesSale">{{cite news|title=Basketball Club of Seattle Announces Sale of Sonics & Storm|url=http://www.nba.com/sonics/news/sale_060718.html|publisher=Seattle SuperSonics|date=July 18, 2006|access-date=July 19, 2006|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060719194751/http://www.nba.com/sonics/news/sale_060718.html|archive-date=July 19, 2006}}</ref> to an ownership group from [[Oklahoma City]], who was pursuing an NBA franchise after [[Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans Hornets|hosting]] the [[New Orleans Pelicans|New Orleans Hornets]] franchise successfully for two seasons as the city of [[New Orleans]] rebuilt from [[Hurricane Katrina]]. The sale to [[Clay Bennett (businessman)|Clay Bennett]]'s ownership group, [[Professional Basketball Club LLC]] (PBC) for $350 million<ref name="initialsale" /><ref name="BasketballClubOfSeattleAnnouncesSale" /> was approved by NBA owners on October 24, 2006.<ref>{{cite news|title=NBA Board of Governors Approves Sale of Sonics & Storm|url=http://www.nba.com/sonics/news/pbc061024.html|publisher=Seattle SuperSonics|date=October 24, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061108052504/http://www.nba.com/sonics/news/pbc061024.html|archive-date=November 8, 2006|access-date=May 7, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Allen|first=Percy|title=NBA board approves sale of Sonics, Storm|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/nba-board-approves-sale-of-sonics-storm/|newspaper=[[The Seattle Times]]|date=October 24, 2006|access-date=October 24, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=NBA approves sale of Sonics, Storm|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=2637335|publisher=[[ESPN]]|date=October 24, 2006|access-date=October 25, 2006}}</ref> Terms of the sale required the new ownership group to "use good faith best efforts" for a term of 12 months in securing a new arena lease or venue in the [[Seattle metropolitan area]].

In 2006, 74% of voters in Seattle voted to pass Initiative 91,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/horsefeathers-the-legacy-of-i-91/|title=Horsefeathers: the legacy of I-91|date=2006-11-13|website=The Seattle Times|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-29}}</ref><ref name="I91SeattlePI">{{cite news|last=Galloway|first=Angela|title=Initiative 91: Seattle rejects sports subsidies|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Initiative-91-Seattle-rejects-sports-subsidies-1219229.php|newspaper=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]|date=November 7, 2006|access-date=June 18, 2017}}</ref> a measure that prohibited use of tax dollars on arena projects in the city unless it could be shown the city would turn a profit on their investment.<ref>{{cite news|last=deMause|first=Neil|author-link=Neil deMause|title=Your Votes Don't Count: How Sports Stadium Welfate Deals Shut Out the Public's Voice|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/your-votes-dont-count-how-sports-stadium-welfare-deals-shut-out-the-publics-voice/|publisher=[[Vice Media|Vice Media LLC]]|date=April 14, 2015|access-date=June 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606180443/https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/your-votes-dont-count-how-sports-stadium-welfare-deals-shut-out-the-publics-voice|archive-date=June 6, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The limitation of tax dollars that could be spent on the arena, combined with earlier losses under recent ownership groups, "likely doomed the Sonics' future in the city".<ref name="I91SeattlePI" />

On February 12, 2007, Bennett proposed using tax money to pay for a new $500 million arena in [[Renton, Washington|Renton]], a [[suburb]] of Seattle.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Jim Brunner|author2=Ralph Thomas|title=Sonics choose Renton|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/politics/sonics-choose-renton/|newspaper=The Seattle Times|date=February 13, 2007|access-date=February 13, 2007}}</ref> After failing to reach a deal by the end of the legislative session, Bennett gave up his attempt in April 2007.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Jim Brunner|author2=Ralph Thomas|title=Sonics owner: "Little hope" team will stay|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/sonics-owner-little-hope-team-will-stay/|newspaper=Seattle Times|date=April 16, 2007|access-date=June 13, 2008}}</ref> On November 2, 2007, the team announced it would move to Oklahoma City as soon as it could get out of its KeyArena lease.<ref name="Post-Intelligencer">{{cite news|last=Johns|first=Greg|title=Bennett says Sonics going to Oklahoma|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/basketball/337871_arena03.html?source=mypi|newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|date=November 2, 2007|access-date=November 3, 2007}}</ref> Seattle's mayor, [[Greg Nickels]], maintained a stance that the Sonics were expected to stay in Seattle until their lease expired in 2010 and said the city did not intend to make it easy for Bennett to move the team early. Over concerns the city would accept a buyout of the lease, a grassroots group filed a citywide initiative that sought to prevent the city from accepting such an offer from Bennett's group.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brunner|first=Jim|title=Initiative aimed at holding Sonics to KeyArena lease|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003808219_keyarena27m.html|newspaper=The Seattle Times|date=July 27, 2007|access-date=February 23, 2008}}</ref> Seattle City Council later unanimously passed an ordinance modeled after the initiative.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brunner|first=Jim|title=Council votes 8-0 to enforce Sonics' lease|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/council-votes-8-0-to-enforce-sonics-lease|newspaper=The Seattle Times|date=September 11, 2007|access-date=February 23, 2008}}</ref> On August 13, 2007, [[Aubrey McClendon]], a minor partner of Bennett's ownership group, said in an interview with ''[[The Journal Record]]'' (an Oklahoma City newspaper) that the team was not purchased to keep it in Seattle but to relocate it to Oklahoma City. Bennett later denied such intentions, saying McClendon "was not speaking on behalf of the ownership group". Due to his comments, McClendon was fined $250,000 by the NBA.<ref>{{cite news|last=Allen|first=Percy|title=Sonics co-owner McClendon fined $250K|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/nba/sonics-co-owner-mcclendon-fined-250k|newspaper=The Seattle Times|date=August 23, 2007|access-date=March 10, 2008}}</ref>

On October 31, 2007, Bennett informed [[Commissioner of the NBA|NBA commissioner]] [[David Stern]] that the ownership group intended to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City as soon as it was legally possible. The timing of the announcement, one day after the Sonics' home opener, drew critical comments from Tom Carr, Seattle's attorney, who said "Mr. Bennett's announcement today is a transparent attempt to alienate the Seattle fan base and follow through on his plan to move the team to Oklahoma City ... Making this move now continues the current ownership's insulting behavior toward the Sonics' dedicated fans and the citizens of the city."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.espn.com/nba/news/story?id=3091416 | title=Sonics tell NBA of intent to move SuperSonics to Oklahoma City | publisher=ESPN | date=November 3, 2007 | access-date=April 25, 2008}}</ref> Bennett also reiterated that the team was not for sale and dismissed attempts by local groups to repurchase the team.<ref name="Post-Intelligencer"/>

On September 23, 2007, the City of Seattle filed a lawsuit in an attempt to keep the Sonics from leaving before the end of their lease in 2010.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.seattlepi.com/basketball/332923_arena25.html| title=City sues Sonics to enforce arena lease | newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer | first=Greg |last=Johns | date=September 24, 2007 | access-date=April 22, 2008}}</ref> In the midst of the lawsuit, Microsoft CEO [[Steve Ballmer]] offered to pay half of a $300 million renovation of KeyArena; the rest to be provided by the city and county.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mayor Nickels announces local effort to buy Sonics, renovate KeyArena|url=http://www.seattle.gov/news/detail.asp?ID=8243&dept=40|publisher=City of Seattle|date=March 6, 2008|access-date=March 26, 2008|archive-date=November 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118022805/http://www.seattle.gov/news/detail.asp?ID=8243&dept=40|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, when the state legislature did not give approval for the county to provide funds by an April 10 deadline, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels said that the effort had failed and the city's hopes rested in its lawsuit.<ref name="lawsuitdate">{{cite news|author1=Chris McGann|author2=Greg Johns|title=Impasse could sink KeyArena offer|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Impasse-could-sink-KeyArena-offer-1266768.php|newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|date=March 10, 2008|access-date=March 10, 2008}}</ref>

The last SuperSonics game played at KeyArena was on April 13, [[2007–08 Seattle SuperSonics season|2008]], a 99–95 win over the [[2007–08 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas Mavericks]].<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Seattle Times |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nba/2004347118_sonics14m.html |last=Eskenazi |first=Stuart |title=Sonics' home finale stirs memories, recriminations |date=April 14, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106030154/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nba/2004347118_sonics14m.html |archive-date=January 6, 2010}}</ref>

The NBA Board of Governors approved the relocation of the Sonics on April 18, 2008.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/sports/2004358405_websonivote18.html | title=NBA approves Sonics' move to Oklahoma City | newspaper=Seattle Times | first= Percy| last = Allen| date=April 18, 2008}}</ref>

On June 16, 2008, the grassroots organization "Save Our Sonics" organized a well-publicized rally, which reportedly drew over 3,000 participants, at the [[United States District Court for the Western District of Washington|U.S. District Courthouse]] in Seattle to protest the proposed relocation of the team.<ref>{{cite web|last=Raley|first=Dan|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/basketball/367296_rally17.html|title=3,000 rally loud and proud to keep Sonics in Seattle|work=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]|date=16 June 2008|access-date=16 June 2008}}</ref> The rally was held on the first day of the city of Seattle's lawsuit against the PBC to enforce the remaining two years on the KeyArena lease.

On July 2, 2008, two hours before a ruling in the city's lawsuit was to be given, it was announced that the team and the city had reached a settlement where PBC would pay the city $45 million immediately in exchange for breaking the lease, and an additional $30 million if Seattle was not given a replacement team in five years. According to the conditions of the settlement, the Sonics' name and colors could not be used by the team in Oklahoma City, but could be taken by a future team in Seattle, although no promises for a replacement team were given. The newly renamed [[Oklahoma City Thunder]] would retain the franchise history of the SuperSonics, which could be "shared" with any future NBA team in Seattle.<ref>{{cite news|last=Aldridge|first=David|title=Two years later, pain of losing Sonics still stings Seattle|url=http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/david_aldridge/12/13/morning-tip-seattle-sonics/|publisher=National Basketball Association|date=December 13, 2010|access-date=March 28, 2016|quote=The history, actually, is in Oklahoma City. As part of the settlement between the team and the city, a 'shared history' arrangement was created. All of the old Sonics' records are now the Thunder's. The championship banners, retired jerseys and the 1979 NBA championship trophy now reside in Oklahoma City.|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222125424/http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/david_aldridge/12/13/morning-tip-seattle-sonics/|archive-date=February 22, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|title=THE PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL CLUB, LLC AND CITY OF SEATTLE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT|url=http://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/CityAttorney/Reports/2008SonicsSettlementAgreement.pdf|publisher=City of Seattle, Washington|website=Seattle.gov|date=July 2, 2008|access-date=May 6, 2016}}</ref> The team moved to Oklahoma City immediately and announced it would begin play in the [[2008–09 Oklahoma City Thunder season|2008–09]] season.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Jim Brunner|author2=Sharon Pian Chan|author2-link=Sharon Chan (journalist) |title=Sonics, city reach settlement|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/sonics-city-reach-settlement/|newspaper=Seattle Times|date=July 2, 2008|access-date=July 2, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=NBA Commissioner David Stern Statement on Settlement Between Sonics and the City of Seattle|url=http://www.nba.com/news/sternsonicsstatement_080702.html|publisher=National Basketball Association|date=July 2, 2008|access-date=July 2, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401085225/http://www.nba.com/news/sternsonicsstatement_080702.html|archive-date=April 1, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

====KeyArena after the Sonics====
Once KeyArena lost the SuperSonics and the Thunderbirds, who moved in 2008 as well, to nearby [[Kent, Washington|Kent]], there was speculation that KeyBank may try to amend the naming rights deal.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/virgin/371623_virgin22.html|first=Bill|last=Virgin|title=KeyArena lost a tenant; will it lose a name?|newspaper=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]|date=July 22, 2008|access-date=July 22, 2008}}</ref> In March 2009, the city and KeyCorp signed a new deal for a two-year term ending December 31, 2010, at an annual fee of $300,000.<ref name="clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us"/>

In 2009, the [[Seattle Redhawks|Seattle University]] Redhawks men's basketball team began playing their home games at KeyArena for the first time since 1980. In February 2009, the [[Seattle City Council]] approved a new 10-year lease that would keep the [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA's]] Storm at KeyArena.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wnba.com/storm/news/lease090202.html|title=STORM: Council Approves Storm Lease|publisher=National Basketball Association|date=February 2, 2009|access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref>

In 2009, the arena hosted the [[No Way Out (2009)|WWE No Way Out]] [[List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events|pay-per-view]] event. The [[WWE]] returned on March 9, 2010, to tape the March 9 episode of ''[[WWE NXT|NXT]]'' and March 12 episode of ''[[WWE SmackDown|SmackDown]]''. They would return a year later to host the [[Over the Limit (2011)|WWE Over the Limit]] pay-per-view on May 22, 2011. In April 2011, the [[Professional Bull Riders]] brought the [[Built Ford Tough Series]] to KeyArena for the first time.<ref>{{cite web |title=PBR Announces 2011 BFTS Schedule |url=http://www.pbrnow.com/release/?id=6771 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100928023610/http://www.pbrnow.com/release/?id=6771 |archive-date=September 28, 2010 |access-date=2022-07-06 |website=www.pbrnow.com}}</ref>

Between June 28 and 30, 2011, the arena hosted the Seattle audition stages in the first season of the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] singer search program ''[[The X Factor (U.S. TV series)|The X Factor]]''.

On January 21, 2011, Seattle Center announced that KeyCorp would not renew its agreement for naming rights of KeyArena, after 15 years of sponsorship. However, the venue retained the KeyArena name until its redevelopment, despite the fact that the naming right had expired.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://queenanne.komonews.com/content/name-change-coming-keyarena |title=Name change coming to KeyArena |work=[[KOMO-TV|KOMO]] |date=January 22, 2011 |access-date=December 18, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120317110206/http://queenanne.komonews.com/content/name-change-coming-keyarena |archive-date=March 17, 2012}}</ref>

In January 2012, [[ESPN|ESPN.com]] reporter [[Scott Burnside]] said KeyArena "would be entirely acceptable", as a temporary venue for an [[National Hockey League|NHL]] franchise, depending on a future arena plan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mynorthwest.com/384/619433/Sports-fans-may-be-closer-to-a-new-team-than-they-think|title=NHL Reporter: Seattle a Favorite for Relocated Team|first=Jessamyn|last=McIntyre|work=[[KIRO (AM)|KIRO]]|date=January 30, 2012|access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref> The [[Phoenix Coyotes]] were often speculated to be a likely candidate for relocation and in June 2013, reports circulated that if the NHL could not negotiate a new lease for the Coyotes with the city of [[Glendale, Arizona]], by July 2, the league would sell the team to a private investment group which would then be given permission to relocate the team to Seattle prior to the 2013–2014 season and use KeyArena as a temporary home.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/phoenix-coyotes-moving-seattle-roenick-reportedly-part-plan-143114434.html|title=Phoenix Coyotes Moving to Seattle? Roenick Reportedly Part of Plan B for NHL|first=Sean|last=Leahy|work=[[Yahoo! Sports]]|date=June 16, 2013|access-date=June 17, 2013}}</ref> On July 2, the city of Glendale, Arizona approved a new lease for the Coyotes at [[Jobing.com Arena]], and soon after, the NHL approved the sale of the Coyotes to an investment group that would keep the Coyotes in the Phoenix area, eliminating the possibility that the Coyotes could move to Seattle.

Conversely, in February 2012, [[SB Nation]] columnist Travis Hughes said that while it made "too much sense" for the NHL not to put a team in Seattle in the future, KeyArena was completely unsuitable even as a temporary facility due to the same problems with sight lines that ultimately forced the Thunderbirds to move out. Hughes wrote that even one year of NHL hockey in an arena where half the lower bowl sat unused would be "just unacceptable." He argued that the situation would be even worse than what the Coyotes faced at [[America West Arena]], their original home in Phoenix. When the Coyotes played there from 1996 to 2003, they had to deal with seats where part of the ice could not be seen at all, forcing them to curtain off several thousand seats in the upper level.<ref name=SBNation>{{cite web |last=Hughes|first=Travis|url=https://www.sbnation.com/nhl/2012/2/6/2774912/seattle-nhl-relocation-phoenix-coyotes-key-arena|title=NHL Relocation: Why The Phoenix Coyotes Won't Move To Seattle This Summer|work=[[SB Nation]]|date=February 6, 2012|access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref>

League officials later hinted that a new arena would have to be in place before a new or relocated NHL team came to Seattle. During the 2012 All-Star Weekend, Bettman said that while Seattle was a good fit for the NHL, "there's no building."<ref name=SBNation/> Deputy Commissioner [[Bill Daly]] said that KeyArena would be "a difficult arena for hockey" due to the large number of obstructed-view seats.<ref name=king5>{{cite web |url=http://www.king5.com/sports/Group-interested-in-luring-NHL-to-Seattle-122557174.html |title=Group interested in luring NHL to Seattle |publisher=KING-TV |access-date=June 22, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110528015327/http://www.king5.com/sports/Group-interested-in-luring-NHL-to-Seattle-122557174.html |archive-date=May 28, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In February 2012, [[KING-TV|KING 5]] reporter Chris Daniels said an [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] team could also use KeyArena as a temporary home.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.king5.com/sports/Is-KeyArena-key-to-arena-proposal-138899044.html |title=Is KeyArena Key to Arena Proposal? |work=[[KING-TV|KING]] |date=February 7, 2012 |access-date=December 18, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120209121907/http://www.king5.com/sports/Is-KeyArena-key-to-arena-proposal-138899044.html |archive-date=February 9, 2012}}</ref>

In July 2012, at a public town hall meeting debating Chris Hansen's [[Sonics Arena|proposed NBA/NHL arena]] in downtown [[Seattle]], anti-arena proponents wanted to "re-explore" using KeyArena instead of the proposed site downtown.<ref>{{cite web |first=Mike|last=Salk|url=http://mynorthwest.com/422/704804/Arena-opponents-want-to-keep-Key-Arena-in-play|title=3 Important Messages from Town Hall Meeting on Arena|work=[[KIRO (AM)|KIRO]]|date=July 10, 2012|access-date=December 18, 2012}}</ref>

From 2014 to 2017, American [[video game developer]] [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] hosted [[The International (Dota 2)|The International]], the world championship for ''[[Dota 2]]'' [[eSports]], at the venue, which featured prize pools of over $20 million in 2016 and 2017.<ref>{{cite web|title=The International|url=http://blog.dota2.com/2014/03/the-international-10/|access-date=April 5, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Tickets to The International|url=http://blog.dota2.com/2015/03/tickets-to-the-international/|access-date=August 6, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Porter|first1=Matt|title=The International 2016 Now Has the Largest eSports Prize Pool in History|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2016/07/27/the-international-2016-now-has-the-largest-esports-prize-pool-in-history|website=IGN|date=July 27, 2016 |access-date=3 August 2016}}</ref> TI returned to the venue in 2023.

KeyArena hosted early rounds of the [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament]] in [[1999 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|1999]] and  [[2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|2015]].

On September 16, 2016, the arena hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions.<ref>{{cite web|title=2016 Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions takes center stage beginning Sept. 15|url=https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=19213|publisher=usagym.org|access-date=March 26, 2019|archive-date=March 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327085825/https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=19213|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Roger Federer]] organized a tennis exhibition match at KeyArena with [[Match for Africa|Match for Africa 4]], held on April 29, 2017. Two matches were played, the first a doubles match pitting Roger Federer and [[Bill Gates]] against [[John Isner]] and [[Mike McCready]] of [[Pearl Jam]], and a singles match featuring Federer and Isner. More than $2 million was raised for the Roger Federer Foundation from the match's proceeds.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://komonews.com/sports/sports-content/tennis-great-roger-federer-wins-keyarena-match|title=Tennis great Roger Federer plays KeyArena matches in fundraiser|author=KOMO Staff|date=2017-04-30|website=KOMO|access-date=2019-05-21}}</ref>

On October 5, 2018, the [[Golden State Warriors]] played against the [[Sacramento Kings]] in a preseason game at KeyArena, the same arena where [[Kevin Durant]] played previously with the Sonics. The game was mostly played to celebrate its moments with the NBA and ended up being its final event as the KeyArena before the arena closed down for redevelopment.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/arena/former-sonic-durant-warriors-to-play-keyarenas-last-game-in-october/281-575543293|title=Former Sonic Durant, Warriors to play KeyArena's last game in October|author1=Daniels|first=Chris|date=July 19, 2018|access-date=July 21, 2018|publisher=[[KING-TV]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/nba-delivers-supersonic-goodbye-to-seattles-keyarena/281-601505839|title=NBA delivers supersonic goodbye to Seattle's KeyArena|last=Crowe|first=Michael|date=2018-10-06|access-date=2019-05-20|publisher=[[KING-TV]]}}</ref>