A Close Up on DC’s New Center of Attention
A History of CareFirst Arena
September 2018 - After two and a half years of construction, the Entertainment and Sports Arena holds its grand opening in Congress Heights, set to become the new practice space for the NBA’s Washington Wizards and a permanent home to the WNBA’s Washington Mystics.
September 2018 - The Arena hosts its Grand Opening Weekend Celebration with sold concerts featuring hometown hip-hop sensation Wale and friends, GRAMMY Award Winner Mary J. Blige, and electrifying rock bands Cage the Elephant and Judah the Lion.
November 2018 - The Arena hosts the first esports tournament with Red Bull Conquest National Finals.
November 2018 - DC’s 1st NBA G-League team, the Capital City Go-Go, begin playing home games at the Arena.
October 2019 - The Washington Mystics beat the Connecticut Sun in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, winning the 2019 WNBA championship in front of their home crowd.
March 2020 - The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Men’s Basketball Championship brings March Madness to Entertainment & Sports Arena, marking the first time the tournament takes place within the DC region since 1986. Events DC and CAA plan to bring the tournament back to the District through 2022.
November 2020 - The USA Basketball Men's National Team defeats Puerto Rico 95-73 in the FIBA AmeriCup 2022 Qualifying Round. The game marks the first appearance for Team USA played at the Arena and also set an all-time record attendance for any Team USA qualifying game.
February 2024 - Events DC and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield announce transformative, 10-year partnership committing a multi-million dollar investment in local community programming and naming rights of the arena.