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The American Airlines Arena is an arena located in Downtown Miami, Florida along Biscayne Bay. The arena was constructed as a replacement for the Miami Arena and was designed by the architecture firms Arquitectonica and 360 Architecture, and is used for basketball games and concerts. The construction of the new arena was delayed because of a fire in the upper section of the facility, but on December 31, 1999, the American Airlines Arena was opened. The owner is Miami Sports and Entertainment Authority and its operator is Leisure Management International. It is home of the Miami Heat of the NBA and the WNBA team Miami Sol played at the arena from their birth in 2000 to their folding in 2002. The capacity of the arena is 19,600 with upper levels and 16,000 without upper levels. Also the arena can be configured in five ways and the minimum capacity is 5,000 and the maximum is 20,000. In 1999 American Airlines purchased the naming rights for $42 million.

The first event in the arena was a Gloria Estefan concert, and after two days the Miami Heat played their first game in the new arena, on January 2, 2000. American Airlines has a giant aircraft painted on top of the arena's roof, with an American Airlines logo in the center and the design is visible from airplanes taking off and landing at Miami International Airport. The arena is scheduled to play host to first and second round games in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.