NBA arenas! The finest basketball cathedrals that taxpayer money can be strong-armed into buying! Everybody in the NBA has one, except for the Los Angeles Clippers. They’re in the process of putting their own together, and everybody assumes Steve Ballmer will turn it into the greatest place to ever watch a basketball game or a sporting event. All of the stops are expected to be pulled out in creating whatever that building ends up being.
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What makes an NBA arena good or bad? Is it simply a matter of being state of the art, or does more have to go into it? Does a building have to possess history and a soul in order to enhance the experience? Or can it simply be the nicest things along with the best food and the most reasonable prices can give you exactly the visiting moments you could possibly want? Of course, the NBA arena is going to be a bit of a foreign concept for the time being. The NBA is forcing its way into Orlando for this restart. And the league isn’t expected to have paying customers in attendance in the 2020-21 season, unless we get some serious breakthroughs in the COVID-19 vaccine and the general health of our country (please wear a mask and stay home if you can).
Once fans are allowed back into the buildings, we may have a renaissance in appreciating what the NBA arena experience is and a better understanding of what it should be. Perhaps teams will cater even more to the fans once those doors are open again.
Here atThe Athletic, we decided to survey our NBA writers to figure out their favorite NBA venues. Some of us have been lucky enough to travel around the NBA and experience the majority of, if not all of, these NBA arenas. I asked our writers as either a journalist or a fan to rate their favorite venues, their least favorite venues, the best/worst crowds, and even the media meal spread teams offer up to the journalists and support staff in the arena. Find out which arenas and crowds pass the test. And stay until the end to read about an infamous log of tuna.
Here are the best and most poignant answers from our NBA arena survey to our staff (comments from our writers in italics):
The NBA’s best arenas
Madison Square Garden (New York Knicks)
It’s the Mecca for a reason, right? It doesn’t matter how bad of a team James Dolan and the New York Knicks put out on the floor. That arena is a thing of beauty, and it feels important to be there when basketball is going on. Guys like LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, and James Harden love to play there because it feels like it means something to do something special on that stage. The Knicks have the lowest win percentage in the NBA over the last 18 years, and yet people still flock to this arena. It’s the best cathedral we have when it comes to the feeling and ambiance of an NBA arena. Now if only Dolan could get out of his own way and give the loyal fans something to care about in that building.
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Madison Square Garden ran away with this vote.
“When that arena is alive, there’s no place (or sound) like it. And if the Knicks are ever good again, that place will be the loudest in the NBA.”
“When I went there for the first time as a kid, my father told me no crowd could take a team out of a game like MSG. The Knicks haven’t done much to give them reason to, but I still think that holds true. At its peak it’s New York attitude at its finest.”
“Obviously not the team, I just love the energy and the city so much.”
“The only concave ceiling and those iconic cables meeting in the middle. It’s the NBA’s version of bespoke pinstripe suit. It’s the perfect aesthetic for NYC. Now, it needs a team to match.”
“I love how it’s dark in the stands and it feels like a play is happening on the court.”
Staples Center (Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers)
Staples Center is meaningful when it’s a Lakers game. It’s meaningful when it’s a Lakers versus Clippers game. It feels less important when it’s just a Clippers game, although that’s starting to change with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in town. Even when the Lakers were terrible, the games felt like they mattered in that building. The lighting is cool and emphasizes the court. The banners and retired jersey numbers remind you of the history with the Lakers. The statues outside the building are an Instagram post waiting to happen. It’s also very funny to go to a Clippers game and see how Doc Rivers had the crew block the retired jerseys and title banners with pictures of the Clippers players.
I’m not sure what was funnier: Doc making sure they hung a pic of Austin Rivers when he was on the team or the Clippers covering up the Taylor Swift banner for selling out the building. But this is an incredible place to watch a basketball game.
“It’s L.A., it’s a Hollywood atmosphere and even when the Lakers sucked, every game felt like an event.”
“Great media seats, fun to star gaze, great work environment, refrigerated PB&J sandwiches, candy bar.”
“Nostalgia, Statues outside, always feels like a big game in there.”
“Staples for Laker games. The banners, the retired jerseys (only Hall of Famers). Brooklyn would be second for me (court, lighting, music).”
“Staples Center, but for the Lakers. Love how the crowd lighting illuminates the court, really makes it feel like a stage. Lawrence Tanter’s style is so unique among PA announcers. In his case, less is more.”
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Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indiana Pacers)
The building in Indianapolis looks really incredible on the outside. The inside isn’t as good, in my opinion, but there are a lot of fantastic sight lines for the viewing experience. When the Pacers are good, the crowd is incredibly loud. But the draw of the building is the unique look compared to any other arena in the NBA (outside of maybe Barclays Center in Brooklyn). Any arena that makes it feel like the crowd is on top of the court will always add an element to a tight game that no other building layout can come close to replicating.
“Bankers Life Fieldhouse’s interior and exterior are the most beautiful in the NBA.”
“It just works. All the seats are good, the fans feel on top of it, it’s right in town.”
“Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indiana. They just did it right. The state of basketball and it feels like a gym. It just fits with that state’s basketball lore.”
“Bankers Life Fieldhouse stands out because of its unified theme. The seating bowl, the concourses and the atrium all exude a retro vibe, without skimping on modern amenities.”
Also receiving praise: Moda Center (Portland), American Airlines Center (Dallas), Little Caesars Arenas (Detroit), Chesapeake Energy Arena (Oklahoma City), TD Garden (Boston), State Farm Arena (Atlanta)
State Farm Arena: “It’s huge, for starters. It’s a great place to walk around the concourse because that’s where Atlanta’s culture is alive and well, from the great chicken spots to the in-arena barber shop. It feels like an experience beyond the game.”
Moda Center: “The crowd is always spot on, candy at the media seats, relatively simple navigation, big working room, not overrun by cameras or national reporters.”
Chesapeake Energy Arena: “This choice doesn’t apply to fans, but the media seats are right behind the scorer’s table. You get to hear what coaches, players and refs are saying. I’ll always take the best seat and work from there. Of the teams that have great media seats, OKC has a better crowd than, say, Memphis.”
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TD Garden: “Just a beautiful floor, an engaged crowd, and tons of history in the rafters.”
The NBA’s worst arenas
AT&T Center (San Antonio Spurs)
The arena in San Antonio is not convenient to get to, it’s not aesthetically pleasing, and you’ll be lucky if you can connect to the internet at all to post an Instagram story or try to tweet about the game while you’re there. I remember going there in 2014 for Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The crowd was insane because they were wrapping up their fifth title since 1999, and this team was obliterating the Miami Heat in the process. Even with those great circ*mstances in its favor, that building was a mess and the true fun of the celebration didn’t happen in that building at all. It happened in other parts of the city, which took roughly an hour to get to. This arena is an awful setup and it ran away with voting for the worst arena.
“Terrible location with nothing around the arena to enjoy. Worst WiFi in the league. Bad sight lines.”
“Bad location, weird tunnels, rude fans, iffy WiFi, bad seats.”
“There’s not much around it and not near downtown. Not much to do around there like there is with other arenas.”
“Too damn loud.”
Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Let’s just say this: there isn’t a single media member in the NBA that is sad the Cleveland Cavaliers won’t be an NBA Finals team without LeBron James on the roster. The arena is terrible to navigate, it’s not a comfortable viewing experience, and the game operations volume is way too loud. The funniest thing you’ll see there, though, is when the opposing team is at the free throw line and they flash Ben Roethlisberger up on the video board to get the crowd to boo louder. But that can’t be the biggest feather in your cap when it comes to your bad arena.
“Aside from the awful name, Cleveland’s arena has possibly the worst seats in basketball for visiting teams. You’re essentially right under the nosebleeds. The bowels of the arena are also confusing. I’m not a fan.”
“The elevators to get from main level to media seating are always packed, the public address announcer is obnoxious, seating has gotten progressively worse over time.”
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Smoothie King Arena (New Orleans Pelicans)
Everything with this New Orleans Pelicans experience needs a makeover. They have a good, exciting team they can put on the floor. But the building needs an upgrade, the color scheme needs an upgrade, the uniforms need an upgrade, and the concessions experience can’t be centered around getting a strawberry smoothie. You’re in New Orleans! Give us the New Orleans culinary experience! Nothing about going to this arena feels like an experience, and that can’t be the case with Zion Williamson in the mix.
“All I can picture about the building are the blue seats that are very obvious when they are empty. AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami fits here too. Also, not every player needs to have a special section with a cute name. Jrue’s Krewe?”
“Smoothie King Arena is just a mess.”
Also receiving negative votes: American Airlines Center (Dallas), Chesapeake Energy Arena (Oklahoma City), Talking Stick Arena (Phoenix), Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee), Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia), Spectrum Center (Charlotte)
Talking Stick Arena: “For Talking Stick, I thought of it as ‘meh.’ Nothing bad, nothing special.”
Fiserv Forum: “The seats are way up in the rafters and the game’s usually over by the third quarter because Bucks blow everyone out.”
Spectrum Center: “The WiFi rarely works. The food options leave a lot to be desired. And there’s just nothing unique about watching a game there.”
Wells Fargo Center: “Wells Fargo Center is just old and decrepit, all the way around.”
Which arena/team has the best crowd?
TD Garden (Boston Celtics)
Boston Celtics crowds have a reputation for being mean, vulgar, and very Boston-y. Sometimes they’ll overstep what’s allowed to be said, and players certainly have stories of wildly inappropriate and ignorant things that have been said to them. The Celtics also just have a lively crowd in general because the tradition of this team is woven into the very fabric of this sports town. Celtics crowds love to smell blood in the water and see if they can help sway the outcome of the game. Plus, you get a lot of dancing in the crowd in the fourth quarter when it’s a blowout.
“There was a playoff game I attended a couple years ago when the Celtics were losing by a lot in the first half. At the end of the second quarter, they went on a massive run aided by the fans losing their minds. It’s not a great explanation, but in general, that crowd tends to know the moments that they are required.”
“Boston fans are loud, intense and offensive. It makes for a hostile — and sometimes entertaining — environment.”
“It’s not the ‘best’ but it is lively, especially if you like profanity.”
Chesapeake Energy Arena (Oklahoma City Thunder)
The Oklahoma City Thunder fans will not sit down until the team scores in the game. Let’s say the Thunder start the game with a scoreless drought for six game minutes. The crowd will stand the entire time. It will be fun to see how they bring it for this surprising Thunder team moving forward. There’s a lot to love with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and company, but it will be pretty difficult to replicate the energy they had for those Kevin Durant-Russell Westbrook games. Or the vitriol and energy that was there when KD returned as a member of the Warriors.
“It has the best atmosphere because it’s the NBA arena that best resembles a college game environment.”
“It’s all that city has, and it shows. The crowd takes it personally, is totally invested, every single night.”
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Moda Center (Portland Trail Blazers)
I mean this in the nicest, most respectful way possible: Blazers fans are insane. They get loud when it comes to praising that team, and the Rose Garden/Moda Center is always rocking when it’s a tight game. Any Damian Lillard scoring binge has people pointing to real and fake watches on their wrist, and letting the opposing players know they can’t guard the franchise point guard. Players have often talked about how intense that building gets when the Blazers are rolling.
“Fans are really into it, good game ops but they don’t overwhelm the game.”
Vivint Smart Home Arena (Utah Jazz)
The Utah Jazz crowds are insanely loud when a game is tight or the Jazz need a little pick-me-up from the building. Jazz fans are known as being extremely rowdy, and we’ve even seen/heard players get into confrontations. For the most part, the moments between opposing players and the crowd have been spirited and enhanced the game experience. However, there are plenty of stories from NBA players in which wildly inappropriate things have been said. Most infamously and recently is when Russell Westbrook got into it with a fan who seemed to shrink up real quick when confronted with his own ignorance.
“Jazz fans are nuts. It’s never not loud, and this is always the arena where I see fewer opponent jerseys than anywhere else. Plus, the arena is kind of at the bottom of a bowl, so fans seem to be right on top of players.”
Other crowds receiving praise: Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia), Madison Square Garden (New York)
(Author’s Note: I’m a little shocked Toronto didn’t get picked or mentioned here.)
Which arena/team has the worst crowd?
Smoothie King Arena (New Orleans Pelicans)
When I went to New Orleans in 2017 shortly after DeMarcus Cousins was traded there in 2017, I spent a week in the city trying to get a feel for the basketball culture there. Most people I talked to who lived there said the Pelicans ranked behind New Orleans Saints football, LSU Tigers football, and LSU baseball. That’s right. People were way more interested in college baseball than the Pelicans. And that’s with them having Anthony Davis and just acquiring Cousins. I’m interested to see how the city responds now to the Pelicans. Zion Williamson is box office gold, and his presence on the court will draw fans from all over the area.
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At least for right now, our writers haven’t seen enough of a change, if any. But it should come.
“To be fair, I haven’t seen them since Zion Williamson began his rookie season. But the last few seasons have been rough, and the crowd doesn’t respond well when the Pelicans get down.”
“Because nobody has been there when I’ve been there.”
“They were better this season, but I’ve been disappointed with New Orleans crowds. The arena is typically half-empty and fans aren’t really engaged unless the team is winning. It’s somewhat cliche to say, but it feels much more like a Saints town.”
Target Center (Minnesota Timberwolves)
I wonder if being relevant only four years out of three decades of existence has anything to do with an apathetic and mostly absent crowd. The building itself isn’t much to write home about, although they have made renovations. Wolves crowds only seem to care when missed free throws by the other team will result in a free giveaway. And with the way this team has played almost every year since 2004, it probably shouldn’t even necessitate missed free throws to give this crowd something for free.
“Target Center is the quietest arena by a wide margin.”
“It’s been a terrible team forever, so the crowds are generally small and have been given little reason to get rowdy.”
Barclays Center (Brooklyn Nets)
It will be interesting to see what the energy is like in this building when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are playing together on the Nets. But up until this point, this has mostly felt like a basketball game being played in a mausoleum. The lighting is cool and the action on the court looks great. But the crowd just simply isn’t there most nights and they aren’t very loud when they are.
“I love the building, and I love that they have theater lighting, but they’re building a fan base from scratch. It can be dead in there, but the franchise is trying though. Nets, Mets, Jets will all be second-fiddle to the blue-blood NYC franchises.”
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Other crowds disappointing us: State Farm Arena (Atlanta), Capitol One Arena (Washington), Toyota Center (Houston), AmericanAirlines Arena (Miami), Little Caesars Arena (Detroit), Amway Center (Orlando)
Which arena/team is the best at feeding the media?
I’ll admit that I included this part of the arena survey just for the media members. So it’s understandable if you, the reader, simply do not care about media meals provided by teams and arenas. The media dining room is a great spot for bonding. Sometimes that bonding is over basketball and sometimes that bonding is over how bad a media meal is. Some places get it right and I was curious what the consensus would be here. Getting people to agree on food is pretty tough. Just bring up In-N-Out on Twitter and see the extreme viewpoints you get as people debate the quality of a $3 cheeseburger.
As for the NBA media meals from each team? I’ve had a fair number of them but not all of them. Our reporters have been all over this league. And as it turns out, the best one available happens at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
“Little Caesars Arena (Detroit). Best variety, freshness (not that wack ass Hot and Ready pizza, but FRESH pizza and crazy bread), Cherry co*ke on tap, soft-serve ice cream, comfort food, great salad bar. Best in the league and it’s not particularly close.”
“Detroit, best food options and the Little Caesars pizza hits differently in Little Caesars Arena.”
“Detroit because of the amazing selection.”
“The Pistons arena: that buffet is legit and good mix of healthy and not. There are also wings.”
“Little Caesars Arena. I’d be stunned if there were any other answer. The choices just don’t stop. Plus, halftime pizza and wings? Thank God I don’t work there every night.”
“Little Caesars Arena, which was a surprise to me. There are some other good spots (L.A. has good ice cream), but I don’t remember a place with as many options (some of which were healthy) than in Detroit.”
“Detroit. Not even close. They have the widest variety of choices and everything is good.”
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Analysis:Maybe Troy Weaver has more to work with than we thought in rebuilding Detroit. And once this coronavirus pandemic is over, we have a vaccine, and people travel places for sports and work again, I’m definitely heading to Detroit to watch Luke Kennard and Sekou Doumbouya play while I eat wings and pizza from the media spread.
“Toyota Center – charcuterie board!”
Analysis: Analytics may be ruining the NBA for some, but the box plus/minus for a charcuterie board makes Michael Jordan look like Michael Bublé.
“TD Garden. Food is often quite good. But, if I’m going to pay for food, I usually head to the concourse, buy something from a local vendor and people watch. MSG and Barclays are good places to do this.”
“Boston isn’t bad. None of them are really good.”
Analysis:I do find a lot of hilarity in asking someone if there is a good media dining setup and getting back the answer that one of them “isn’t bad.” But having not had the much-lauded Detroit arena food, I must say that the sentiment of “None of them are really good” definitely makes sense to me.
“Staples Center. From the soft-serve ice cream machine, to the coffee options, to the snacks, Staples has the best quality and variety. It doesn’t have the best food, but the space is big and light, there’s plenty of room to sit and chat, and, again, the soft serve.”
Analysis:Again, I’m telling you. If you go to Staples Center in Los Angeles, hit the concourse behind section 117 and go get a hot chicken sandwich from Ludo Bird.
“I’m partial to the new Golden State arena — lots of options, lots of room, pretty good quality.”
Analysis:I don’t know if Joe Lacob and company charged for media meals before, but after what happened this season, these will probably become those $200 dates the internet loves to debate.
“Target Center. Good variety pregame. And postgame beer and pizza.”
Analysis:As someone who spent four seasons covering basketball at the Target Center, I can only assume Gersson Rosas rebuilt the media meal situation long before he got around to trading for D’Angelo Russell. Because that thing apparently got a huge facelift.
Which arena/team is the worst at feeding the media?
I know. I know. Fans don’t give a damn if there is a bad dining experience for the media. Especially not when you’re paying $16 for a Coors Light and $6.50 for a hot dog that looks like Johnny Knoxville plastered in old-person makeup and prosthetics for a hidden camera video. However, I do love listening to media members complain about these setups. Whenever the meal is free, I think it’s ridiculous to complain. However, there are some cheapskate organizations that provide a meal, charge you money for it, and don’t even bother to make sure the meal is any kind of digestible.
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For example, Minnesota and Staples Center charge the media for their meals. Those are two of the arenas I’ve called home during my career, and it always blew me away that these teams would charge. It’s usually somewhere in the $8 range for a media meal, and you can go back for seconds. But often, you don’t want to go back for seconds. The media meal in Los Angeles is fine enough, but they also have free hot dogs, free make-your-own nachos, and free Crustables sandwiches. Between that and the soft-serve ice cream, it doesn’t make sense to pay for their average meals.
The reason it blows me away that they charge for the media meals is the first arena I ever covered basketball in was the old Arco Arena in Sacramento. I can’t remember if it was Power Balance Pavilion or Sleep Train Arena by then, but I started covering NBA games when Tyreke Evans was a rookie for the Sacramento Kings. That’s when the Maloof family didn’t have money anymore. Eventually, the NBA would help them run the team behind the scenes as they desperately tried to find someone to buy the organization. But even those Maloof-run Kings teams with no money provided a free media meal, and it was decent. If the Maloofs could give away food, how can anybody else charge?
With all that said, I love listening to and reading media members complain about media dining. It’s just funny to me, so here are some of the complaints when I asked which arenas have the worst spread/setup.
“Amway Center – Soft-serve ice cream and beer tap are both nice. Behind the counter, though, I’ve been served some things that aren’t recognizably food.”
Analysis:There are a few teams around the NBA that give away free beers to media members AFTER the games, and that’s always a great way to ease any angst over media meals. Most surprisingly? Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City gives away beers to the media after games.
“Up until this year, the Pepsi Center (Denver) was making you pay $15 for a really substandard media meal which sometimes consisted of a create your own deli sandwich format. Only Chesapeake Energy Arena (Oklahoma City) has been consistently worse, but at least the meal there was free.”
Analysis:Fifteen American dollars?!
“Miami. Just never been impressed. Cleveland is a close second. Both feel like cafeteria food from high school.”
“AmericanAirlines Arena, Miami. Just horrendous all around. Everything is terrible.”
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Analysis:I can confirm the best thing about any media meal from the American Airlines Arena is the free little bags of chips that you can snag.
“Spectrum Center. When I attended a game there last season, they didn’t have water in the media dining room. Seriously. I’ve been to every arena in the league and each one has water bottles or a dispenser. The food was decent, and the dessert was great, but their dining gets an F for missing a basic necessity.”
“Spectrum Center. The one place I won’t touch the food. The offerings are beyond scarce.”
Analysis:OK, not having water is an insane thing to miss on, but a good dessert spread is another way to calm cranky reporters. But you’ve got to have water.
“Madison Square Garden. It’s bad concession stand food.”
“I never eat at MSG because I’ve heard of too many people get sick from it. Blazers, Pelicans, and Heat aren’t great.”
Analysis:I’ve been to MSG a couple of times, and I’ll say this. There was consistently a log of tuna fish. Not like sashimi-grade ahi tuna or anything like that. Just a tuna log. Most people advised me to stay away from it. But there were always media members who indulged and I worried greatly about their well-being. Thanks, James Dolan!
(Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
