Stadium Seating ChartsNBA arenas by capacity, biggest to smallest
The biggest NBA arena is United Center in Chicago, IL, with 20,917 seats for basketball games. The smallest is Smoothie King Center at 16,867. The average NBA arena holds 18,777. The oldest is Madison Square Garden (1968) and the newest Intuit Dome (2024).
The six biggest NBA arenas
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All NBA arenas by capacity
| # | Stadium | NBA capacity | Location | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Center | 20,917 (source) | Chicago, IL | 1994 |
| 2 | Xfinity Mobile Arena | 20,478 (source) | Philadelphia, PA | 1996 |
| 3 | Capital One Arena | 20,356 (source) | Washington, DC | 1997 |
| 4 | Little Caesars Arena | 20,332 (source) | Detroit, MI | 2017 |
| 5 | Madison Square Garden | 20,012 (source) | New York, NY | 1968 |
| 6 | Scotiabank Arena | 19,800 (source) | Toronto, ON | 1999 |
| 7 | Kaseya Center | 19,600 (source) | Miami, FL | 1999 |
| 8 | Ball Arena | 19,520 (source) | Denver, CO | 1999 |
| 9 | Spectrum Center | 19,444 (source) | Charlotte, NC | 2005 |
| 10 | Rocket Arena | 19,432 (source) | Cleveland, OH | 1994 |
| 11 | Moda Center | 19,393 (source) | Portland, OR | 1995 |
| 12 | American Airlines Center | 19,200 (source) | Dallas, TX | 2001 |
| 13 | TD Garden | 19,156 (source) | Boston, MA | 1995 |
| 14 | Crypto.com Arena | 19,079 (source) | Los Angeles, CA | 1999 |
| 15 | Kia Center | 18,846 (source) | Orlando, FL | 2010 |
| 16 | Target Center | 18,798 (source) | Minneapolis, MN | 1990 |
| 17 | Frost Bank Center | 18,418 (source) | San Antonio, TX | 2002 |
| 18 | Intuit Dome | 18,300 (source) | Inglewood, CA | 2024 |
| 19 | Paycom Center | 18,203 (source) | Oklahoma City, OK | 2002 |
| 20 | Delta Center | 18,186 (source) | Salt Lake City, UT | 1991 |
| 21 | FedExForum | 18,119 (source) | Memphis, TN | 2004 |
| 22 | Toyota Center | 18,104 (source) | Houston, TX | 2003 |
| 23 | Chase Center | 18,064 (source) | San Francisco, CA | 2019 |
| 24 | Barclays Center | 17,732 (source) | Brooklyn, NY | 2012 |
| 25 | State Farm Arena | 17,608 (source) | Atlanta, GA | 1999 |
| 26 | Golden 1 Center | 17,608 (source) | Sacramento, CA | 2016 |
| 27 | Fiserv Forum | 17,385 (source) | Milwaukee, WI | 2018 |
| 28 | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | 17,274 (source) | Indianapolis, IN | 1999 |
| 29 | Mortgage Matchup Center | 17,071 (source) | Phoenix, AZ | 1992 |
| 30 | Smoothie King Center | 16,867 (source) | New Orleans, LA | 1999 |
What is the oldest NBA arena?
Madison Square Garden, opened in 1968.
What is the average NBA arena capacity?
18,777 seats across all 30 NBA arenas.
Which NBA arenas also host the NHL?
11: United Center, Xfinity Mobile Arena, Capital One Arena, Little Caesars Arena, Madison Square Garden, Scotiabank Arena, Ball Arena, American Airlines Center, TD Garden, Crypto.com Arena, Delta Center. Capacity on this page is the figure for basketball games; the other layout holds a different number.
How this list is built
Capacity is each venue's official seating capacity for its main sport, taken from the team or venue's own page, or the stadium's Wikipedia infobox where the official page gives none. Each figure links to its source. Standing room, temporary seats and record crowds are not counted. Opening year is the year the current stadium first hosted its main tenant. Arenas set out different seat counts for basketball, hockey and concerts; this page uses the basketball figure. Figures are checked against the source each month; if you spot an outdated number, the source link beside it shows where it came from.
Free to use with a link to this page. Stadium photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited under each photo and on our photo credits page.