NBA Arenas ranked by seating capacity, from largest to smallest

Which NBA arenas are the biggest in terms of seating capacity?

Last Updated: 30 May 2018

There are 30 teams in the NBA and 29 arenas (the LA Lakers and the LA Clippers share an arena). In this post, we'll take a look at every one of them ranked by their seating capacity from largest to smallest. We'll also take a look at the total cost of each arena (including the cost of major renovations) and the cost of every arena per seat. Both figures are based on 2018 prices.

Before you scroll down to find out the rankings, here are some interesting facts about NBA arenas:

  • The difference in seating capacity between the largest arena (United Center: 20,197) and the smallest arena (Smoothie King Center: 16,867) is exactly 3,330 seats, a difference of about 19.74%.
  • The average stadium capacity is 18,966.
  • Barclays Center has the distinction of being the only one arena whose original construction cost is over $1 billion.
  • But if you count renovation cost in addition to original construction cost, Madison Square Garden has also racked up a total cost of over $1 billion.
  • The mantle for the most expensive arena cost per seat belongs to Madison Square Garden ($63,828 per seat) in NYC. The cheapest arena cost per seat goes to Chesapeake Energy Arena ($6,755 per seat) in Oklahoma City. The difference between them is nearly 10-fold!
  • Staples Center is the only NBA arena to have more than one team (the Lakers and Clippers).
  • Madison Square Garden (NY Knicks) is currently the only arena not named after a corporate sponsor.
  • The oldest arena still in use is Oakland's Oracle Arena, which opened in 1966. The newest arena will be the Milwaukee's Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center, which opens in 2018. So the difference in age between the oldest and newest arena is 52 years.

Now that you've learned a few interesting tidbits about NBA arenas, without further ado, here are the rankings for the seating capacity of NBA arenas, from largest to smallest:

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1
United Center

■ ■ ■
  • location: Chicago, Illinois
  • team: Chicago Bulls
  • opened: 1994
  • capacity: 20,917
  • cost: $292,300,000
  • cost Per Seat: $13,974

2
Quicken Loans Arena

■ ■ ■
  • location: Cleveland, Ohio
  • team: Cleveland Cavaliers
  • opened: 1994
  • capacity: 20,562
  • cost: $165,910,000
  • cost Per Seat: $8,069

3
Little Caesars Arena

Image by Coreyfein01 / CC BY
  • location: Detroit, Michigan
  • team: Detroit Pistons
  • opened: 2017
  • capacity: 20,491
  • cost: $871,150,000
  • cost Per Seat: $42,514

4
Capital One Arena

■ ■ ■
  • location: Washington, D.C.
  • team: Washington Wizards
  • opened: 1997
  • capacity: 20,356
  • cost: $399,040,000
  • cost Per Seat: $19,603
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5
Wells Fargo Center

■ ■ ■
  • location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • team: Philadelphia 76ers
  • opened: 1996
  • capacity: 20,328
  • cost: $331,540,000
  • cost Per Seat: $16,310

6
Moda Center

■ ■ ■
  • location: Portland, Oregon
  • team: Portland Trail Blazers
  • opened: 1995
  • capacity: 19,980
  • cost: $423,900,000
  • cost Per Seat: $21,216

7
Madison Square Garden

■ ■ ■
  • location: New York, New York
  • team: New York Knicks
  • opened: 1968
  • capacity: 19,812
  • cost: $1,264,570,000
  • cost Per Seat: $63,828

8
Air Canada Centre

■ ■ ■
  • location: Toronto, Ontario
  • team: Toronto Raptors
  • opened: 1999
  • capacity: 19,800
  • cost: $399,790,000
  • cost Per Seat: $20,191
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9
American Airlines Arena

■ ■ ■
  • location: Miami, Florida
  • team: Miami Heat
  • opened: 1999
  • capacity: 19,600
  • cost: $313,700,000
  • cost Per Seat: $16,005

10
Oracle Arena

■ ■ ■
  • location: Oakland, California
  • team: Golden State Warriors
  • opened: 1966
  • capacity: 19,596
  • cost: $369,910,000
  • cost Per Seat: $18,877

11
Target Center

■ ■ ■
  • location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • team: Minnesota Timberwolves
  • opened: 1990
  • capacity: 19,356
  • cost: $194,260,000
  • cost Per Seat: $10,036

12
American Airlines Center

■ ■ ■
  • location: Dallas, Texas
  • team: Dallas Mavericks
  • opened: 2001
  • capacity: 19,200
  • cost: $584,850,000
  • cost Per Seat: $30,461
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13
Pepsi Center

■ ■ ■
  • location: Denver, Colorado
  • team: Denver Nuggets
  • opened: 1999
  • capacity: 19,155
  • cost: $276,060,000
  • cost Per Seat: $14,412

14
Spectrum Center

■ ■ ■
  • location: Charlotte, North Carolina
  • team: Charlotte Hornets
  • opened: 2005
  • capacity: 19,077
  • cost: $324,170,000
  • cost Per Seat: $16,993

15
Staples Center

■ ■ ■
  • location: Los Angeles, California
  • team: Los Angeles Lakers / Clippers
  • opened: 1999
  • capacity: 19,060
  • cost: $553,600,000
  • cost Per Seat: $29,045

16
Amway Center

■ ■ ■
  • location: Orlando, Florida
  • team: Orlando Magic
  • opened: 2010
  • capacity: 18,846
  • cost: $544,670,000
  • cost Per Seat: $28,901
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17
TD Garden

■ ■ ■
  • location: Boston, Massachusetts
  • team: Boston Celtics
  • opened: 1995
  • capacity: 18,624
  • cost: $259,380,000
  • cost Per Seat: $13,927

18
Talking Stick Resort Arena

Image by Crblack1998 / CC BY
  • location: Phoenix, Arizona
  • team: Phoenix Suns
  • opened: 1992
  • capacity: 18,422
  • cost: $249,710,000
  • cost Per Seat: $13,555

19
AT&T Center

■ ■ ■
  • location: San Antonio, Texas
  • team: San Antonio Spurs
  • opened: 2002
  • capacity: 18,418
  • cost: $254,710,000
  • cost Per Seat: $13,829

20
Vivint Smart Home Arena

■ ■ ■
  • location: Salt Lake City, Utah
  • team: Utah Jazz
  • opened: 1991
  • capacity: 18,303
  • cost: $168,010,000
  • cost Per Seat: $9,179
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21
Chesapeake Energy Arena

■ ■ ■
  • location: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • team: Oklahoma City Thunder
  • opened: 2002
  • capacity: 18,203
  • cost: $122,970,000
  • cost Per Seat: $6,755

22
FedExForum

■ ■ ■
  • location: Memphis, Tennessee
  • team: Memphis Grizzlies
  • opened: 2004
  • capacity: 18,119
  • cost: $327,000,000
  • cost Per Seat: $18,047

23
Philips Arena

■ ■ ■
  • location: Atlanta, Georgia
  • team: Atlanta Hawks
  • opened: 1999
  • capacity: 18,118
  • cost: $316,690,000
  • cost Per Seat: $17,479

24
Toyota Center

■ ■ ■
  • location: Houston, Texas
  • team: Houston Rockets
  • opened: 2003
  • capacity: 18,055
  • cost: $314,520,000
  • cost Per Seat: $17,420
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25
Bankers Life Fieldhouse

■ ■ ■
  • location: Indianapolis, Indiana
  • team: Indiana Pacers
  • opened: 1999
  • capacity: 17,923
  • cost: $269,680,000
  • cost Per Seat: $15,047

26
Barclays Center

■ ■ ■
  • location: Brooklyn, New York
  • team: Brooklyn Nets
  • opened: 2012
  • capacity: 17,732
  • cost: $1,075,910,000
  • cost Per Seat: $60,676

27
Golden 1 Center

Image by Brian Libby / CC BY
  • location: Sacramento, California
  • team: Sacramento Kings
  • opened: 2016
  • capacity: 17,608
  • cost: $574,470,000
  • cost Per Seat: $32,626

28
Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center

Image by KDTW Flyer / CC BY
  • location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • team: Milwaukee Bucks
  • opened: 2018
  • capacity: 17,500
  • cost: $515,590,000
  • cost Per Seat: $29,462
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29
Smoothie King Center

■ ■ ■
  • location: New Orleans, Louisiana
  • team: New Orleans Pelicans
  • opened: 1999
  • capacity: 16,867
  • cost: $168,300,000
  • cost Per Seat: $9,978
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