The arena was inaugurated by a concert of Celine Dion in October 3, 1998, and later in October 9th, Panthers played their initial game in the arena. In 2002, the ANC Rental Company, that was the sponsor of the arena, went bankrupt, there were a need for a new sponsor for the arena, and that was found with Office Depot. In 2012, after BankAtlantic was acquired by BB&T, the arenas name was changed to BB&T Center.
The venue is considered largest in the state of Florida, and comes in 2nd position after Greensboro Coliseum in the Southeastern of the country. The arenas seats used to be green, but as part of the Panthers promotion "We See Red", the color of seats was changed to be Red. The venue used to be home to other sports teams such as the ABA team Florida Pit Bulls, the LFL team Miami Caliente, and the AFL team Florida Bobcats.
The venue has hosted hot sports events and several concerts of big artists including Bon Jovi, Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen, Rihanna, Katy Perry, and the list goes long. In 2001, for instance, the venue hosted the NHL Entry Draft or the NHL All-Star Game of 2003. Also, the venue hosts many other annual events including high school and college ceremonies, charity events, seminars and a lot more.