Bob Carpenter Center

Bob Carpenter Center is a 5,100-seat multi-purpose arena, in Newark, Delaware, named in honor of benefactor and trustee, R. R. M. Carpenter, Jr. (1915–1990). Students at the University of Delaware have nicknamed it "The Bob."The arena opened in 1992 and was designed by HOK Sport (now known as Populous), who have been involved in more than 150 sports and recreation projects. The construction of the building cost $20.5 million. In late 2010, the University constructed an addition, which includes two full-size basketball courts, new offices and locker rooms for the basketball and volleyball programs, and a new entrance plaza.The arena section of the building is named in honor of Frank E. Acierno, a local businessman and developer, who donated $1 million to the Bob Carpenter Center, the largest gift from a single donor.It is home to the University of Delaware Blue Hens basketball teams (men and women), and since fall of 2013, the Delaware 87ers of the NBA G League. It also hosted a preseason game for the Philadelphia 76ers vs. the Boston Celtics. From 2014 to 2016, it hosted one annual preseason game for the WNBA's Chicago Sky, coinciding with the final three years in which UD product Elena Delle Donne played for the team. Following Delle Donne's trade to the Washington Mystics, it did not host either of that team's 2017 preseason games.