Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 19/06/2026 22:34:00

Seating close to 17,000 for basketball and more for concerts, the Smoothie King Center is the multi-purpose indoor arena that sits in the shadow of the Caesars Superdome in the New Orleans Central Business District. Ground was broken in November 1995 and the building opened in 1999 as the New Orleans Arena, completed at a cost of around 114 million dollars and designed in part by noted local architect Arthur Q. Davis. The arena was instrumental in returning major-league professional sport to the city. After early years hosting the New Orleans Brass minor-league hockey team, it became home in 2002 to the NBA franchise then known as the Hornets, rebranded the New Orleans Pelicans in 2013. It also hosted the Arena Football League's New Orleans VooDoo across two stints in the 2000s and 2010s. In 2014, Smoothie King, a smoothie chain founded in the New Orleans area in 1973, took on the naming rights in a ten-year deal, and the building gained the local nickname "The Blender". A roughly 54 million dollar renovation ahead of the 2014-15 season brought new entrances, box offices, clubs and suites, refreshing the arena for its second decade. Beyond basketball, the venue has staged three NBA All-Star Games, NCAA and SEC tournaments, NCAA Women's Final Fours, and concerts by artists including Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Madonna, Beyonce and Taylor Swift. With around 2,800 club seats and 56 luxury suites, and configurations running up to roughly 18,500 for college basketball and playoff games, it remains one of the busiest entertainment venues in the Gulf South. The arena's configuration has been tweaked repeatedly, with NBA capacity easing from around 17,200 at opening to 16,867 today after seating changes, while concert setups can run higher. The Hornets played their first home game there against the Utah Jazz on 30 October 2002, beginning a tenancy that continues under the Pelicans name. In its first two decades arena officials counted more than 500 entertainment events drawing over 13.6 million ticket-holders, taking in boxing, wrestling, bull riding and arena football alongside basketball and concerts. Sitting directly beside the Superdome, the two buildings form a sports and entertainment core for the city, and the nickname The Blender has stuck since the smoothie-chain sponsorship arrived.