Top Five NBA Arenas

When a fan thinks of the National Basketball Association, he/she can’t help but think of the great players and teams throughout the more than 75-year history of the league.  

Another aspect of the uniqueness of the NBA is the venues and arenas where stars play their craft in front of thousands of fans each night during the season. It’s been quite the ride, starting with games at college gyms, small-time auditoriums, alternate home courts, and even neutral sites. 

Remember that Wilt Chamberlain of the then-Philadelphia Warriors had his league-record 100-point game (March 1962) in front of just a few thousand fans at Hershey, Pennsylvania. 

The league also boasted some iconic home courts, including Boston Garden, Chicago Stadium, the Los Angeles (actually Inglewood) Forum, the original Madison Square Garden, and the Philadelphia Spectrum.  

In the name of progress, many of those NBA stadiums have either been replaced or, in the case of the current incarnation of opened-in-1968 Madison Square Garden, renovated. 

Today, there are glittering palaces all across the league, either as basketball-only or shared with a same-city National Hockey League team.     

Here’s a look at where the current crop of NBA players do their work… 

Which Is the Biggest NBA Stadium?

NBA news suggests it was built to accommodate Michael Jordan’s Bulls, but Chicago’s United Center’s 20,917-seat capacity makes it the largest in the league. The second “Madhouse on Madison,” United Center replaced Chicago Stadium when it opened in 1994-95.

There are other arenas with 20,000-plus basketball capacity, including Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena, Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center, and Capital One Arena (Washington, DC).

The aforementioned Madison Square Garden is the only building that’s not sponsored.

What Is the Oldest Stadium in the NBA?

Returning to Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden, which has a history dating to 1879. With two buildings in the Madison Square area of New York City (hence the name), then a third farther north, now it’s number four. Located in midtown’s west side, it opened in 1968 but underwent an interior facelift about a decade ago. It’s by far the oldest venue among NBA stadiums.

Though the New York Knickerbockers haven’t won a title since the 1972-73 season, this version (2024-25 season) is among the best in the league, according to NBA picks and predictions.

How Many Stadiums Are in the NBA?

NBA standings list 30 teams, who used to play in 29 different buildings. That was because the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers (along with the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings) shared the same downtown home court/rink. 

Beginning the 2024-25 season, however, it was the Clippers moving to suburban Inglewood, a two-mile distance to the Forum which the Lakers and Kings used to share. Note that when the Clippers first hit town in 1984 (via Buffalo [Braves] and San Diego, it was the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena as their home. 

Playing in the league’s newest facility makes the Clips a popular team in NBA games today.      

Where Is the NBA Most Popular?

It obviously stands to reason the league’s popularity increases in North America (specifically the United States) during the NBA playoffs, when the best teams go after the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Competition is fierce, and no one uses “load management” as an excuse to not play. 

Any Final Thoughts?

NBA rumors have new buildings being considered in Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, and even Las Vegas as Sin City hopes to entice a (probably expansion) team in the future.