The Walter Pyramid , formerly known as The Long Beach Pyramid , is a 4,000-seat, pyramid-shaped indoor multi-purpose arena on the campus of Long Beach State University in Long Beach, California .
17-612: The Walter Pyramid was officially opened on November 30, 1994, when it hosted a Long Beach State men's basketball game against the Detroit Titans , which aired live on ESPN . A standing-room only crowd of 5,021 saw Long Beach come away victorious with a final score of 71-64. The Walter Pyramid was designed by Don Gibbs and built by the Nielson Construction Company of San Diego . The building of Walter Pyramid cost approximately $ 22 million. Each side of
34-604: Is currently home to the Long Beach State Beach men's basketball and Long Beach State Beach women's basketball programs, as well as the Long Beach State Beach men's volleyball and Long Beach State Beach women's volleyball programs. All LBSU teams playing home games in the Walter Pyramid are nicknamed "the Beach". The teams were previously known as the 49ers but that nickname was recently dropped. Prior to
51-575: Is happening to their main arena . Long Beach State men%27s basketball The Long Beach State Beach men's basketball team represents California State University, Long Beach in Long Beach , California . The school's team competes in the Big West Conference . Because they won the 2024 Big West Conference men's basketball tournament , the team received an automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament ;
68-473: Is uniformly clad in sheets of dark-blue corrugated aluminum . On March 5, 2005, Long Beach State officially renamed The Pyramid to Walter Pyramid in honor of Mike and Arline Walter. The Walters were given this recognition for a $ 2.1 million donation given to the university. In addition to being the vice-president of Levi Strauss & Co. , Mike Walter was also a dean for Long Beach State's College of Business Administration from 1993 to 2000. The Walter Pyramid
85-636: The Women's National Basketball Association , and the second season under head coach Curt Miller . The season tipped off on May 15, 2024, in Long Beach versus the Atlanta Dream , and ended on September 19 against the Minnesota Lynx . The season started slowly for the Sparks as they lost both of their opening two games. They defeated Washington by two points on May 21 to earn their first win of
102-858: The perimeter of Walter Pyramid measures 345 feet (105 m), and it is 190 feet (58 m) tall. It is one of only four mathematically true pyramid-style buildings in the United States , the others being the Summum Pyramid in Salt Lake City , Utah , Luxor Las Vegas in Las Vegas , Nevada, and the Memphis Pyramid in Memphis, Tennessee . The Walter Pyramid rises 18 stories above the Long Beach skyline and its exterior
119-470: The 2001 and 2003 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championships and the 2003 NCAA Women's Volleyball Regionals. The Southern California Summer Pro League used the Walter Pyramid during the summer months from 1995 to 2007. The league showcased current and prospective NBA basketball players, including recent draft picks, current NBA players working on their skills and conditioning, and international professionals hoping to become NBA players. The league went on hiatus for
136-636: The 2008 season and announced its intention to move to Los Angeles for 2009. The Walter Pyramid was home to the Long Beach Stingrays , a women's professional basketball team of the now-defunct American Basketball League for a time in 1997 and 1998. The Walter Pyramid hosts the World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships or, in Portuguese language , Mundials . New Japan Pro-Wrestling presented
153-498: The Olympic break before defeating New York to finish August 1–6. Well out of the playoff race, the Sparks lost the first eight games of September. The closest loss of the streak was by three-points at Seattle on September 15. The team finished the season with a win over Minnesota . The season was marred by a multitude of injuries, including a season-ending ACL tear to the team's No. 2 draft pick, Cameron Brink , who wound up missing
170-494: The construction of the Walter Pyramid on campus, the men's basketball team played some of their games in the Long Beach Arena in downtown Long Beach , and at the on-campus University Gymnasium later renamed Gold Mine , which has just 1,900 seats. In addition to being the home for Long Beach State athletics, the Walter Pyramid as hosted several NCAA -sponsored events including numerous women's volleyball NCAA matches,
187-546: The last time Long Beach State competed in this tournament was 2012 . The Beach is currently coached by Chris Acker . Long Beach State officially changed their nickname with the NCAA to "Beach" from " 49ers " prior to the 2019–20 season. In the 2006–07 season, the 49ers finished with a 24–8 (12–2) record, the Big West conference championship, and the school's first trip to the NCAA tournament in 12 years. Star guard Aaron Nixon
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#1732790551885204-414: The month with a 2–9 record. The only non-double digit loss during that streak was a 70–79 loss to Connecticut on June 18. Their losing streak extended one more game into July before they defeated Last Vegas in overtime. They would lose the next two games before defeating Dallas. They lost to Seattle to finish July 2–4 and head into the Olympic break. The Sparks lost the first six games after returning from
221-410: The remainder of the season after playing just 15 games. Brink's injury also caused her to miss the 2024 Summer Olympics , with her teammate Dearica Hamby taking her place on the United States women's national 3x3 team . The Sparks finished with just 8 wins and 32 losses, missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and failing to improve on their 17-23 record from 2023. Their eight wins were
238-408: The season. They lost the following two games including a one point loss to Dallas . They defeated Indiana before losing to Chicago to end the month with a 2–5 record. Their June started off with two losses as well. They won two games to follow including a victory at home against Last Vegas . That would be the highlight of the month as the team went on a seven game losing streak from there to finish
255-596: The show Strong Style Evolved on March 25, 2018, which sold out within minutes. In 2019, they held the finals of the Super J-Cup . The company returned to the venue on May 21 2023, presenting Resurgence . The Los Angeles Sparks played a 2019 WNBA Playoffs semifinals game at the Walter Pyramid. For the first 5 games of the 2024 season, the Sparks will play their first 5 games at the Pyramid while Stage 3 of upgrades
272-566: Was 1–1. Long Beach State has appeared in nine National Invitation Tournaments (NIT). Their combined record is 2–9. The following former Long Beach State players have played professionally for the National Basketball Association : Four numbers have been retired in Long Beach State basketball history: 2024 Los Angeles Sparks season The 2024 WNBA season was the franchise's 28th season in
289-490: Was named Big West player of the year, as well as being selected as an AP Honorable Mention All-American. In 2008, the team began a three-year probation term, vacated 18 victories from their 2005–2006 season, and reduced scholarships and recruiting in order to keep eligibility for postseason play. Long Beach State has appeared in nine NCAA tournaments . Their combined record is 7–11. The 49ers appeared in one NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament . Their combined record
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