Stadium Journey's NBA Arena Rankings 2025
- stadiumjourney
- 1 day ago
- 21 min read
The 2024-25 NBA Season was definitely a unique one. Tremendous regular seasons by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder and New York Knicks ushered in a new sense of hope throughout a number of markets in the league and possibly a changing of the guard. The dominant news of the season was the blockbuster trade between the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers centered around Luca Doncic and Anthony Davis. After being much maligned over the deal, the Mavericks seemed to come out the other end better than expected winning the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and the opportunity to draft Cooper Flagg. The league would also see a return to Inglewood, California, the former site of the Great Western Forum, home of the Lakers. This time it would be the Los Angeles Clippers making news with the opening of the innovative Intuit Dome. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder continued his ascension to stardom by leading the league in scoring with 32.7 points per game, and earning the MVP. Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings averaged 13.9 rebounds per game to lead the league as well. Oklahoma City had the best record in the league and made it all the way to the NBA Finals, squaring off against the Indiana Pacers, in a matchup that was one of the most surprising of all time. The Chicago Bulls lead the league in attendance, averaging 20,079 fans per game.
Stadium Journey published the first review of the Intuit Dome this season. Six other updated reviews were published this season. The annual NBA rankings at Stadium Journey are based on the FANFARE metric used on the website, where a number of different writers assess the basketball experience based on the categories of Food, Atmosphere, Neighbourhood, Fans, Access, Return on Investment and any extras that the writers experienced. The stakes are high, with an average grading of 4.07 being earned out of a possible perfect 5.0.
This list is just an amalgamation of a number of opinions, and may not be in agreement for all. Please let Stadium Journey know your opinions on our various Social Media outlets. How is your list different from ours? What do we have right? What do we have wrong?
Without further ado, Stadium Journey is proud to present the 2025 Rankings of the National Basketball Associations Experiences.
Brian O’Sullivan - While New York City boasts some of the most iconic buildings in the world, including the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center, a trip to the city would not be complete without a stop at Madison Square Garden. Nestled in the heart of the city that never sleeps and opened in 1968, Madison Square Garden hosts a plethora of events throughout the year. From the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show to countless performances by Billy Joel, the Garden seems to be holding a different event each night. In addition to the New York Knicks, the New York Rangers call the Garden their permanent home. Although each of these events offers its own set of benefits, attending a New York Knicks game at the Garden offers an unparalleled experience. From the passionate fans to celebrities sitting courtside, there is a truly unique and unparalleled atmosphere that surrounds a Knicks game. The hefty price of admission is well worth the priceless experience once inside Madison Square Garden and is a must see for any sports fan.
Chris Green - Take an NBA team, plant it in a beautiful vibrant growing city, and build them a beautiful facility with modern touches that never seem to go out of style, and you have yourself Kia Center, home of the Orlando Magic. Chock-full of quality concessions, comfortable seating, great restaurants and bars nearby, and friendly patrons, you would be hard-pressed to find a venue as enjoyable and inviting for a game of professional basketball. While many may think of Orlando as a city meant for tourists, it is quietly becoming a central hub for sports.
Dave Cottenie - The recent news that Vince Carter was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is big for the city of Toronto and the Toronto Raptors. The location of the very first NBA game with the Toronto Huskies and New York Knicks is finally getting a member of the Hall of Fame. Although Vince Carter played for seven other teams and was technically not drafted by the Raptors, his formative years in the NBA were wearing purple. Carter’s arrival in Toronto coincided with the moving of the team from the gargantuan SkyDome to the sparkling new Air Canada Centre. Many Raptor fans credit Carter for helping build basketball in Toronto as well as the rest of the country. In 1999 the Raptors, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, also owned by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, moved to their current home, now known as Scotiabank Arena. The building was once the Canada Post Delivery Building and the arena has been renovated several times. Located in the heart of Toronto, Scotiabank Arena provides the Raptors with a premier venue to play in and has become one of the best experiences in the NBA.
Eric Moreno - In 1971, the then San Diego Rockets relocated to Houston, giving the Lone Star State its first NBA franchise. Over the ensuing decade, stars would emerge that would help bring legitimacy to Space City’s squad, including Hall of Famers Elvin Hayes and Moses Malone, who would guide the Rockets to a conference championship in 1981. The 1984 NBA Draft would bring Houston Cougar alum Hakeem Olajuwon, and “The Dream” would team up with fellow future Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson – the duo would be known as the “Twin Towers” – to lead the Rockets to the 1986 NBA Finals. It would be under the guidance of former player Rudy Tomjanovich and Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler that Houston would break through, capturing back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and 1995. At the start of the 2003-04 season, the Rockets moved into their new state-of-the-art home in downtown H-Town, Toyota Center. Stars such as Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, and James Harden have taken the court at Toyota Center, and recent seasons have seen a rise in the team’s fortunes. Through the ups and downs, Toyota Center has kept up with the times and is still a premier spot in the NBA.
Pete Dowell - Wells Fargo Center was built in 1996 and is part of the Philadelphia Sports Complex Special Services District that consists of Wells Fargo Center home of the 76ers NBA & Flyers NHL, Lincoln Financial Field home of the Eagles NFL & Temple Owls NCAA, Citizens Bank Park home of the Phillies MLB and Xfinity Live! (A mega hang-out spot for before, during, and after any game). Wells Fargo Center is the current home of the Philadelphia 76ers and houses the legacy of three past won NBA championships, nine past won Eastern Conference titles, five past won Atlantic Division titles, and the potential of future glory from trusting in a process. The 76ers started their NBA journey known as the Syracuse Nationals in 1946 and didn’t take on the name of Philadelphia 76ers until an ownership change, a franchise move to Philadelphia, and a contest to name the team in 1964. Walter Stalberg basketball fan and contestant in naming the 76ers won the name the team contest for his submission of the Philadelphia 76ers. The name Philadelphia 76ers is a nod to the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 in Philadelphia.
Lloyd Brown - When the Cleveland Cavaliers opened their 2019-2020 season, they sported a new name for their home court as well as a massively renovated house. Rocket Mortgage Company took over the naming rights from Quicken Loans over the summer, and the arena completed a two-year, $185 million renovation designed to open the arena up more to the surrounding area, and to provide wider concourses and more concession offerings to its fans. The most readily apparent change is the adding a large glass enclosed atrium, which reflects the downtown skyline and brightens up the inside corridors of the facility. A large concession and social area with seats and tables has been added at the south end of the arena. In addition, the upper concourse is now opened up to allow fans to go 360 degrees around the arena for the first time ever. Previous renovations have included the installation of new seats throughout the seating bowl, the adding of a center-hung video board nicknamed “Humongotron” due to its immense size (31 feet high and 56 feet wide on the side panels) and new graphics and signage.
Lloyd Brown - The HEAT is by far the most successful franchise in South Florida since the club was founded in 1988. They have won the NBA titles on three occasions (2006, 2012 and 2013), been Conference Champions five times and Division Champions 13 times . Today they are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the NBA. Attending a HEAT game is as much of a social occasion as attending a basketball game. While seeing the red-hot HEAT compete on the court, you are just as likely to be seeing an “A List” of celebrities sitting courtside. While the sight lines to the court are excellent, the social amenities offered at Kaseya Center are just as impressive.
Lloyd Brown - The Golden State Warriors have been one of the most dominant NBA teams over the last decade, as they have won six titles, including three in the last five seasons. They also hold the record for most regular season wins with 73. Coach Steve Kerr has an astounding winning percentage of .880 with the team. The 2019-2020 season has added yet another home court advantage for the team, as they moved into the Chase Center, their new home on the shores of San Francisco Bay. The 18,062-seat arena is the first 100% privately financed professional sports facility in generations. Chase Center is the Warriors fourth home in the Bay Area since relocating from Philadelphia in 1962. It replaces the Oracle Arena in Oakland, the team’s home since 1966.
Lloyd Brown - The Portland Trail Blazers are the longest running professional sports franchise in the Pacific Northwest. The name “Trailblazers” was chosen by a wide margin in a fan poll in recognition of their pioneering efforts to bring not only basketball, but other pro sports to the region. Although they have only one NBA Championship in their 50-year history, they have won numerous Northwest Divisional titles and have gone to three Western Conference Finals. Unfortunately, over the years they have faced either the Lakers or the Warriors in their prime over this period, or they likely would have more league championships. As it is, they have succeeded where two Pacific Northwest teams, the Seattle Supersonics and the Vancouver Grizzlies have failed. Portland is known as the “Rip City” a phrase coined by their original announcer for the many “swishes” shot by the smooth shooting teams of the early years. The Moda Center has served as the home of the Trail Blazers since 1995. It was originally known as the Rose Garden, in homage to two other basketball shrines, the Boston Garden and Madison Square Garden. The name was changed in 2013, as GPS and local tourism guides found the name confused visitors who were in town to visit Portland’s world-famous International Test Gardens during the annual Rose Festival.
Matt Finnigan - The NBA’s Denver Nuggets have had just one home in their 21st Century existence: downtown Denver’s Ball Arena. Since this Millennium started, the Nuggets struggled to find a mix of players to elevate them to one of the Association’s top teams. Who can forget high first-round draft selections like 2002’s Nikoloz Tskitishvili (5th overall) or 2015’s Emmanuel Mudiay (7th overall)? All sarcasm and nostalgia aside, the Nuggets history at Ball Arena has not been a disaster. Far from it. The team enjoyed successful runs after drafting Carmelo Anthony third overall in 2003 and trading for Allen Iverson at the start of the 2006-2007 season. Lately, the Nuggets have emerged as one of the NBA’s top teams. They drafted a little-known Serbian center, Nikola Jokic, in the second round of the 2014 NBA Draft (41st overall). “The Joker” became one of the great steals in draft history. He won NBA Most Valuable Player honors in 2021 and 2022, seemingly recording triple-doubles on a nightly basis and passing like a point guard. Jamal Murray, the Nuggets’ seventh pick in the 2016 NBA Draft out of the University of Kentucky, has given the Nuggets a second superstar.
Lloyd Brown - The history of the Royals / Kings franchise has been one of a vagabond existence. It began as the Royals in Rochester, NY, then moved on to Cincinnati for several years. Its next home was split between Kansas City/Omaha and resulted in a name change to the Kings to avoid confusion with the baseball Royals. In 1985, it relocated to Sacramento, hoping to break the seeming jinx of being a small market franchise competing against the larger metropolitan areas. The team is now celebrating its 35th anniversary in California’s capitol city. However as late as 2010, the team was rumored to be moving to either Anaheim or Seattle due to an unsatisfactory arena arrangement and a losing record. That changed in 2016, as the city and a new ownership group opened the Golden 1 Center as the anchor for the new Downtown Commons (DOCO) district in downtown Sacramento. The 17,608-seat venue replaced the aging Sleep Train Arena (formerly ARCO Arena). The arena features 10,000 lower level seats with 34 luxury suites and 48 loft style suites. The remaining 7,000 upper level seats are steeply pitched so that the sight lines anywhere in the arena are
excellent.
Michael Davis - American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-use arena located in the Victory Park area, which is just north of the historic West End in downtown Dallas. The venue is home to the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA and the Dallas Stars of the NHL. The AAC, as it is commonly referred to by local sports fans, opened its doors on July 28, 2001, with ‘An Evening with the Eagles’; the same year, the Mavericks and Stars opened their 2001 season in American Airlines Center. The seating capacity for basketball is 19,200, or up to 21,146 including standing room. The venue is a beautiful building made of brick, limestone, and granite with signature arches, but the arena’s sweeping facades and smooth arch design can easily get lost in the Victory Park buildings. The American Airlines Center is a primary venue for the Dallas area, hosting year-round sporting events and live entertainment. Besides the Mavericks and Stars, American Airlines Center has also hosted the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, Big 12 basketball tournament, NCAA women’s Final Four, and the 55th NHL All Star game.
Lloyd Brown - Some of the best Jazz to be experienced in the Salt Lake City area is not found in an intimate nightclub, but in an 18,300-seat sports arena found only a few blocks from Temple Square. The Delta Center (formerly the Vivint Smart Home Arena) has served as the home of the Utah Jazz since 1991. The Delta Center was the arena's original name when it debuted for the team. As you would expect, the arena has undergone frequent renovations during its more than 30 plus years of existence. These occurred in 2002 (to prepare it for the Winter Olympic Games), 2010, and 2016. The renovations that began in 2016 have changed the arena's appearance and fan experience, at a cost of more than $125 million.
Eric Moreno - Founded in 1967 as the then Dallas Chaparrals in the now defunct American Basketball Association (ABA), the San Antonio Spurs have become one of the most storied franchises in the NBA. Becoming one of the best organizations in all professional sports, the Spurs set an NBA record of winning at least 50 games a season from the 1999-2000 season to the 2016-2017 season. Along the way, the Silver and Black won five NBA Championships, buoyed in part by a slew of Hall of Famers and all-time greats such as Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Tony Parker, Manu Ginóbili, and Head Coach Gregg Popovich. The last four of the Spurs championships were captured while the club has called the (now named) Frost Bank Center its home.
Marc Viquez - Gainbridge Fieldhouse is nearing the completion of a three-phase renovation that transformed the Indiana Pacers' home into a modern facility with all the amenities of the 20s. Morris Bicennential Plaza is located outside the main entrances and features a full-size basketball court for fans to shoot, dribble, and play a little basketball. The court converts to an ice skating rink during the winter months. The "Sphere" is a reflective, dome-like sculpture with an interior video screen that is ideal for photos. There are several murals and sculptures in the plaza, including a bar area for grab-and-go drinks. Gainbridge Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers, debuted November 6, 1999, as Conseco Fieldhouse. It would be known as Bankers Life Fieldhouse until September 2021. The seating capacity has increased from 17,923 to a whopping 20,000 - making it the 5th largest in the NBA.
Paul Baker - The Boston Celtics are the most successful franchise in NBA history, having won 18 championships, 23 conference titles and 35 division championships during their time in the league. The team has qualified for the playoffs 61 times. 49 individuals associated with the team have been enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. The TD Garden is the home of both the Celtics and the NHL’s Boston Bruins. When the facility was under construction in the mid-1990s, plans stated the arena would be located “just north” of the Boston Garden. “Just north” ended up being nine inches away. The privately financed facility was built for $160 million in 1995.
Matt Colville - For most people when it comes to New Orleans, they think the Crescent City is a football town. After all, this is the South, and New Orleans has a love affair with the Saints and LSU football that remains unmatched by most major cities. However, for some people New Orleans can be considered a pretty big basketball town as well, and like the long and winding Mississippi River that runs through the city, New Orleans has a long and winding history with hoops that rivals its football history.
From 1979 to 2002, New Orleans would be without a professional basketball team, but the city would have plenty of great basketball moments – it was in New Orleans where Michael Jordan won his first championship, as his UNC Tar Heels won the college tournament in 1982. It was also where Indiana coach Bob Knight would win his third and final championship in 1987, and where UNC coach Dean Smith would win his second and final championship in 1993; ultimately the Crescent City has hosted seven Final Fours as of 2024. The newest era of basketball in New Orleans began in 2002, when the Charlotte Hornets moved here and began play at Smoothie King Center, located right next door to Caesars Superdome. Re-named the Pelicans in 2013, the Pels have added another chapter to New Orleans' rich and storied sports history thanks in part to names such as Baron Davis, Jamal Mashburn, Chris Paul, Anthony Davis, and now Zion Williamson, who have all donned Hornets/Pelicans jerseys over the last 23 years.
Dave Cottenie - In 2005, Oklahoma City partook in what can only be described as an NBA audition. With the devastation of Hurricane Katrina displacing the New Orleans Hornets, the team found a temporary home at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. Two seasons of NBA basketball in the Sooner State proved to be a runaway success and the relatively small market in OKC would not be a hindrance to NBA basketball in the future. Oklahoma businessman Clay Bennett would swoop in and purchase the Seattle SuperSonics to relocate them to Oklahoma City. The Thunder were blessed with some serious young talent early on and made some strong playoff runs in front of some rabid crowds, making the move to Oklahoma City seem like the perfect spot for the NBA. Home for the Thunder is Paycom Center. Originally the Ford Center and later the Chesapeake Energy Center, Paycom Center was built in 2002 and is located on the edge of Bricktown in downtown Oklahoma City.
Marc Viquez - The Fiserv Forum has been the home of the Milwaukee Bucks since the 2018-2019 NBA season. The $524 million multi-purpose venue has a capacity of 17,500 for basketball and connects multiple neighborhoods and districts that include The Brewery, Milwaukee Waterfront, Old World 3rd Street, and Wisconsin Center. It also borders the “The Deer District” entertainment center. The forum has a unique design that features “a swooping roof and extensive glass to evoke Wisconsin’s natural beauty and Milwaukee’s rich heritage of industry and craftsmen.” The design was inspired by the bountiful rivers, lakes, and forests of the region. The interior offers soft, white colors and rich zinc hues along with darkly colored seating to allow the court to stand out. The design of the interior structure also has a somewhat unfinished look or resembles a barrel of some type. The curved portion looks like a finely contoured piece of wood and includes strips of window panels that produce natural lighting at each level of the building. There are more windows above the main entrance that emulate green lighting at night.
Lloyd Brown - The Phoenix Suns and the PHX Arena recently celebrated their 30th Anniversary as the outpost for NBA basketball in the Southwest. The facility opened in 1992 as the America West Arena and has gone through numerous name changes over the years. It became the Footprint Center in 2022. The arena holds 17,071 in its basketball setting. PHX Arena hosts a wide variety of events in addition to the Sun's games. It serves as the host facility for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA and the Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League (IFL). It has also hosted boxing matches, rodeo competitions, UFC events, WWE events, and music concerts, featuring such stars as Rod Stewart, Billy Joel, and Elton John.
Dave Cottenie - The Hawks have been part of the Atlanta sports landscape since 1968 when they moved from St. Louis. The Hawks were founded as the Buffalo Bisons in 1946 and moved to Moline, Illinois to be the Tri-Cities Blackhawks after just 38 days. In 1951 the team moved to Milwaukee and dropped the Black to become just the Hawks and stayed until 1955 when they moved to St. Louis. Their only appearance in the NBA Finals saw them victorious in 1958 behind the massive scoring of Bob Pettit. Key to the Hawks development was the purchase of the team by Ted Turner in 1977. The Hawks were Turner’s first venture into sports and he owned them until 2004 when they were sold to Time Warner. The Hawks had some success in the eighties with Dominique Wilkins, their best player in franchise history, but unfortunately they could not get past Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Currently the Hawks are mired in mediocrity under the ownership group led by Tony Ressler, who purchased the team in 2015.
Marc Viquez - The Chicago Bulls moved into the United Center for the beginning of the 1994/1995 NBA season, at the time Michael Jordan was still retired and playing baseball but would rejoin the team later on that year and help usher in a string of three more NBA championships from 1996 to 1998. Twenty years later after his retirement, it is hard not to notice MJ’s accomplishments throughout the building and how magnetic that era was to the fans in Chicago. The United Center replaced the iconic Chicago Stadium which debuted in 1929 and had been the home to the Bulls since its inaugural year in 1966. The plan to build the multipurpose arena was created by Chicago Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf. The cost of construction was $175 million and would have a capacity of 23,129 for basketball. The arena was also designed with an Art Deco style much like its predecessor providing a nod to the past and progress toward the future.
Lloyd Brown - he Grizzlies NBA franchise started in 1995 as the Vancouver, BC Grizzlies. The franchise relocated to Memphis, TN, in time for the 2001-2002 NBA season. For the first three seasons in their new Southern home, the Grizzlies played at the Pyramid Arena in downtown Memphis as their new home at the Fed Ex Forum was being built. The Grizzlies have been playoff regulars in recent years. The fans call the team's style of play incorporates the “Grit and Grind Grizzlies.” This means they use a high-pressure defense and get to an advantageous spot to take a shot. They have the talented Ja Morant to take the Grizzlies deep into the postseason. The team is adamant about beating at home as they boast an 85 % likelihood of winning the game on their home court. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the NBA.
David Welch - The NBA would return to Charlotte in 2004 with a new identity, the Charlotte Bobcats, and a promise of a new arena. Charlotte would christen what is now Spectrum Center in 2005. Since their return, the Hornets and previously the Bobcats, have seen spikes of success, but have found sustaining it a challenge. The Hornets now have a new ownership group in place, led by former Hornets minority owner Gabe Plotkin and former Atlanta Hawks minority owner Rick Schnell. The two have voiced their concerns about some of the shortcomings of the franchise, and how they plan to address them going forward.
Lloyd Brown - The Crypto.com Arena is the center of the LA indoor sports universe, as it serves as the home of the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA, the LA Kings of the NHL and the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. The arena opened in 1999 and has a seating capacity of 19,079 for basketball and 18,118 for hockey. As you would expect in Hollywood and the home of TV shows, the Crypto.com Arena excels in production quality. The sound system and lighting quality in the arena far exceeds what you would find at other arenas. One of the reasons for this are the vast number of concerts held at the arena, featuring the top artists in the world, many of whom are local residents as well. They tend to be very demanding of the technical crews, and Crypto delivers. You’ll want to make sure to be in your seats prior to the National Anthem, as the Lakers have very dramatic pregame introductions.
Dave Cottenie - The public address announcer for the Detroit Pistons of the NBA takes great pleasure when the Pistons get possession of the ball after it goes out of bounds. The sweet sounds of John Mason’s “Dee-troit Bas-ketIball” is as iconic in the Motor City as the Bad Boys themselves. However, since the seventies the Pistons were the victim of a bitter ownership feud between Pistons owner Bill Davidson and Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Illitch. When the Red Wings moved out of Olympia Arena, the Pistons protested what they viewed as poor conditions at Cobo Arena and moved out of Detroit proper to Pontiac to play in the ridiculously massive Pontiac Silverdome. In 1988 the Pistons would leave Pontiac for a more appropriate venue in Auburn Hills at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Palace was a terrific venue for the Pistons and they would see their greatest franchise moments there including their three NBA Championships and over 300 consecutive sellouts. With the Pistons changing ownership to Tom Gores after the death of Bill Davidson, and the Red Wings building a new arena, the opportunity presented itself to move back downtown after four decades away. Mike Illitch was always a proponent of bringing businesses back downtown and he always put his money where his mouth was. Little Caesars Arena is the new home for both the Red Wings and the Pistons and is just on the other side of the Fisher Freeway from close neighbors Ford Field, Comerica Park and the Fox Theater. John Mason has joined the Pistons and his iconic call can still be heard throughout basketball games. It may be a bit of an unfamiliar locale, but it is still Detroit Basketball.
Sean MacDonald - The 17,732-seat Barclays Center christening took place November 1, 2012, with the Nets hosting the Knicks in what was billed as the first game of a new crosstown rivalry. It marked the first time since the Brooklyn Dodgers left for Los Angeles after the 1957 season that the borough was home to a major professional sports team. It also returned the Nets franchise back to New York for the first time since the franchise left for New Jersey after the 1976-77 season. Given its incredibly accessible location on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn on top of nine subway lines and the Long Island Railroad, Barclays Center should be a good rival to Madison Square Garden as a premier New York entertainment venue. In the end, however, it doesn’t quite measure up.
Andrei Ojeda - When it comes to hosting some of the big names of professional sports, the City of Inglewood, minutes from LAX, is no stranger. From 1967-1999 The Forum was the home to the Los Angeles Lakers as well as the Los Angeles Kings. During that span much of The Forum’s glorious history would be provided by the 80’s Showtime Era Lakers, winning 5 of their 6 Forum era championships from 1980-1988 while attracting countless Hollywood celebrities, most notably Jack Nicholson and Dyan Cannon. As both the Lakers and Kings would move to DTLA at the Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena), the Clippers, who would play their home games at the nearby L.A. Sports Arena from 1984 -1999 after moving from San Diego, would join these two powerhouses. During their time at Crypto, the Clippers were often regarded as the third tenant, resulting in several occasions with unfavorable afternoon tipoff times. As the team was turning a corner, the Clippers would not be void of controversy due in large part to former owner Donald Sterling. Even with the Clippers recent run of success, try as they may, even going as far as to cover the Lakers championship banners with banners adorning current players, Crypto.com Arena would always be associated with the Lakers. In comes present day owner Steve Ballmer. Ballmer would be the billion dollar mastermind that would eventually give the Clippers a home they could truly call their own.
Lloyd Brown - The Target Center has served as the home court for the Minnesota Timberwolves since it opened in 1990. It is in the Warehouse or Northloop District of downtown Minneapolis. The arena holds 18,500 in its basketball configuration. One of its most unique features is its “green” roof, which is covered in native Minnesota prairie plants, and captures water and melting snow that would otherwise wind up in the nearby Mississippi River. The Target Center has undergone frequent renovations in recent years, with a major two-year upgrade in 2016-2017. This renovation included a new HD video board and a completely new glass atrium lobby that really opened the facility to the street. The arena is also unique in that it has two entry levels, with one at street level and a second that attaches to the Minneapolis Skyway System. The renovations also brought a great deal of light into both the lobby area and the concourses, brightening up what was a very enclosed structure. Numerous picture windows are now in place to provide stunning views of the Minneapolis skyline.
Gregory Koch - Capital One Arena opened in 1997 as the home of the Washington Wizards, replacing the aging Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. However, the Wizards have thus far been unable to match the rise in popularity experienced by their co-tenant, the Washington Capitals. In addition to hosting these two teams, Capital One Arena plays host to Georgetown Hoyas men’s basketball.
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