NBA Basketball Arenas

NBA games are back and bigger than ever. After a decline in overall regular season attendance between 2006 and 2012, there has been a steady increase in fans buying NBA tickets. In 2016, NBA arenas saw nearly 22 million fans take in NBA basketball games at venues like Oracle Arena in Oakland, the Verizon Center in D.C., and Boston’s TD Garden, which is a new NBA basketball season attendance record.

That’s the Ticket

The NBA schedule is full of great storied rivalries, and all the NBA Teams offer a different fan experience—and a different price to attend a game. Recent data shows that the most affordable place to see NBA matches is in New Orleans, where the average ticket price is around $30. At the other end of the spectrum, it will cost more than four times as much to see a game at Madison Square Garden. Lakers tickets at the Staples Center come in a distant second place with an average cost around $100. Outside of the glitz and glamour of New York and L.A., both red-hot Golden State Warrior tickets and Miami Heat tickets average close to $75 apiece.

The Arena Experience

If you’ve never been to an NBA basketball arena, you may not know exactly what to expect—whether you’re going to a concert, a game or major another event. Just as ticket prices vary widely, so too do the home courts of different NBA basketball teams. Madison Square Garden, home of the Knicks, is considered by some to be the Mecca of NBA arenas thanks to its unique architecture, passionate fans, and central Manhattan setting. The Staples Center has a futuristic vibe, easy access via light rail, and plenty of celebrity sightings—especially when the Lakers make it to the NBA playoffs. The Indiana Pacers’ Banker’s Life Fieldhouse has the raucous feel of a college court—in the best way possible.