Smoothie King Center (locally referred to as SKC) is a multi-purpose

indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. It is located in the city's

Central Business District A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

, adjacent to

Caesars Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...

. The arena opened in 1999 as New Orleans Arena and has been home to the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA) since 2002. The New Orleans VooDoo of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

played their home games in the arena from 2004 until the team disbanded in 2008. The VooDoo resumed play at the arena in March 2011, until after the 2015 AFL season when the franchise folded.

Arena information

The arena was completed in 1999 at a cost of $114 million and officially opened on October 19, 1999. The arena seats 17,805 for

concerts A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or musical band, band. Concerts are held in a w ...

, 16,867 for

Pelicans Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...

games, 18,500 for

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

and Pelicans playoff games, and 16,900 for

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

and

arena football Indoor American football, or arena football, is a variation of gridiron football played at ice hockey-sized indoor arenas. While varying in details from league to league, the rules of indoor football are designed to allow for play in a smaller ...

. It has 2,800 club seats and 56 luxury suites. The arena as a

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety a ...

venue can seat 7,500 for half-stage shows, 17,221 for end-stage shows and 17,805 for a center-stage shows. For trade shows and conventions the arena features of space. The ceiling is 65 feet (20 m) to beam and roof, 70 feet (21.5 m) to the top of the arena.

History

In 1999, the arena's first tenant, the

New Orleans Brass The New Orleans Brass were a hockey team in the ECHL from 1997 to 2002. The team was at one time affiliated with the San Jose Sharks. Home games were played first at the New Orleans Municipal Auditorium (until October 29, 1999) and then at the ...

team of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

played their first home game in the arena. The team played in the arena their last three seasons. When the

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

arrived in 2002, they persuaded the state government to demand that the Brass foot the cost of converting the arena between basketball and hockey configurations. That expense was more than the Brass were willing to pay, and they were forced to fold due to the lack of another suitable arena. The Hornets played their first game at the Smoothie King Center versus the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

on October 30, 2002. The New Orleans VooDoo, of the

(AFL), began playing their home games in the arena starting in February 2004. Following

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

on August 29, 2005, medical operations that had previously been housed in the Superdome were moved to the Arena. Medical personnel had been working in an area of the Superdome with poor lighting, leaking ceilings and soggy carpet. The Arena's design was tested in 1996 by CPP, a wind engineering consulting firm, so it fared far better than the Superdome during the storm and was in better condition to house sensitive medical operations. Thus, unlike the Superdome, the Arena reopened to activities only one month after the storm. On March 8, 2006, the Hornets played their first home game at the arena since

and the start of the 2005–06 season. A sellout crowd of 17,744 watched the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

defeat the Hornets, 113–107. In 2006, the arena installed an

LED A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...

centerhung video and scoring system from

Daktronics Daktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video displays, scoreboards, digital billboards, dynamic message signs, sound systems, and related products. Founded in 1968 by ...

out of

Brookings, South Dakota Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is South Dakota's fourth largest city, with a population of 23,377 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Brookings County, and home to South Dakota State Un ...

. The centerhung installation is made up of two ring displays and eight video displays, as well as scoreboards. This installation is fully integrated with the more than of ribbon display technology that was installed in the arena in 2002. In the summer of 2008, new Daktronics "see through" shot clocks were installed, replacing the existing box units. The New Orleans VooDoo of the

resumed play at the arena in March 2011. In 2013, the arena underwent a significant upgrade. The 2013 renovations were primarily focused for the gameday experience inside the arena. These upgrades include updates to the Suites and Club Levels, expanding the Club Levels, Creating new Loge Boxes, and a new Party Perch. Other upgrades include upgraded concession stands, upgraded LED boards, and other in-house amenities for the teams and performers that use the arena. On February 5, 2014, it was announced that a 10-year agreement was reached to rename New Orleans Arena the

Smoothie King Smoothie King Franchises Inc. (doing business as Smoothie King) is an American privately held smoothie company. Founded in 1973, the company was bought by a South Korean franchisee in 2012. In the late 2010s, the company was focusing on whole ...

Center prior to the 2014 NBA All-Star Game. In September and October 2014, exterior renovations were made to the Smoothie King Center, including new entrances, painting the center from bluish green to light gray, and a new outer LED lighting system similar to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome's own. However, some original plans, such as to add an overhang to the building, were cancelled. The Hornets/Pelicans have enjoyed a winning record of 341–275 () during the regular season and 15–9 () during the playoffs in home games played at the New Orleans Arena/Smoothie King Center as of the conclusion of the 2018–19 season.

Seating capacity

The seating capacity for NBA basketball games has gone:

Notable events

Sports

NBA

Smoothie King Center has hosted the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, the 2014 NBA All-Star Game, and the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, after the NBA pulled the game from

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

's Spectrum Center due to

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

's "

bathroom bill A bathroom bill is the common name for legislation or a statute that denies access to public toilets by gender or transgender identity. Bathroom bills affect access to sex-segregated public facilities for an individual based on a determination o ...

College sports

In 2011, the arena hosted the Southeast Regional of the

NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from ...

. The arena also hosted the first and second rounds of the

NCAA men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from ...

in 2007 and

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

. The 2012

Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, Radius, radially arrayed compass directions (or Azimuth#In navigation, azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east ...

was held at the arena. The arena hosted the 2004 Women's Final Four and 2013 Women's Final Four. It has also hosted the 2008 NCAA women's basketball tournament South Regionals. The arena was set to host the 2020 Women's Final Four, before it was eventually canceled due to the ongoing

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. The 2002 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Final Four was held at the New Orleans Arena in December 2002. The 2019 SEC gymnastics championships were held at the arena.

Arena football

The arena hosted

ArenaBowl XXI ArenaBowl XXI was the 2007 championship game of the Arena Football League and was played at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sunday, July 29, 2007. It was the third-ever neutral site title game in league's history and the first ...

in 2007,

ArenaBowl XXII ArenaBowl XXII was played on July 27, 2008 at New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana (the host of ArenaBowl XXI). It was the 22nd and final championship game in the history of the original Arena Football League. This was the fourth neutral s ...

in 2008 and

ArenaBowl XXV ArenaBowl XXV was the 25th edition of the championship in the Arena Football League. The National Conference champion, Arizona Rattlers, defeated the American Conference champion, Philadelphia Soul, 72–54. The game was played on August 10, 201 ...

in 2012.

MMA and boxing

* September 9, 2000 – The arena hosted the light heavyweight title fight between

Roy Jones Jr. Roy Levesta Jones Jr. (born January 16, 1969) is an American former professional boxer who holds dual American and Russian citizenship. He competed in boxing from 1989 to 2018, and held multiple world championships in four weight classes, inc ...

and

Eric Harding Eric Harding (born December 20, 1972) is an American former professional boxer who fought at light heavyweight. Career Harding turned pro in 1991 and was undefeated in his first 20 fights. These wins included a fight in which he defeated futur ...

. Jones won by TKO in the 10th round. * June 6, 2015 – UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson

Other events

* 2000 – The

Professional Bull Riders The Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR) is an international professional bull riding organization based in Pueblo, Colorado, United States. In the U.S., PBR events have been televised on CBS and CBS Sports Network since 2012. In 2013, the ...

(PBR) Bud Light Cup tour event * 2001 –

(PBR) Bud Light Cup tour event * 2002 –

(PBR) Bud Light Cup tour event was held in the arena. * 2003 –

(PBR)

Built Ford Tough Series The Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS) was the elite series tour name of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) competitions from 2003 to 2017. The BFTS kicked off its tour on November 16, 2002 with the Mohegan Sun Invitational in Uncasville, Connecticu ...

tour event * August 2003 – The

Bassmaster Classic XXXIII Bassmaster Classic XXXIII was held on August 1-3, 2003, in the Louisiana Delta surrounding New Orleans, Louisiana. Michael Iaconelli of Woodbury Heights, New Jersey, won the event with a three-day total weight of 37 pounds, 14 ounces. He won $200,0 ...

weigh-in was held in the arena.Classic XXXIII - Aug. 1-3, 2003 , Bassmaster
/ref> * March 2007 – The

(PBR)

tour event was held in the arena. * April 2010 – The

(PBR) event was held in the arena for a Built Ford Tough Series event. * March 2015 - AMSOIL Arenacross * November 2019; February 2022 - Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live

Professional wrestling

* January 21, 2001 – The arena hosted the WWF Royal Rumble pay-per-view. * June 7, 2009 – The arena hosted the

WWE Extreme Rules WWE Extreme Rules is a professional wrestling event produced annually by WWE, a Connecticut-based promotion. It is broadcast live and available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and the livestreaming services Peacock and the WWE Network. The name ...

pay-per-view. * October 2, 2011 – The arena hosted the

WWE Hell in a Cell WWE Hell in a Cell is a professional wrestling event produced annually by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. It is broadcast live and available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and the livestreaming services Peacock and ...

pay-per-view. * February 17, 2013 – The arena hosted the

WWE Elimination Chamber WWE Elimination Chamber is a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based professional wrestling promotion. It is available only through pay-per-view (PPV) and the livestreaming services, Peacock and the WWE Network. The ...

pay-per-view. * April 5–7, 2014 –

WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when André the Giant was posthumously ind ...

ceremony and

Raw Raw is an adjective usually describing: * Raw materials, basic materials from which products are manufactured or made * Raw food, uncooked food Raw or RAW may also refer to: Computing and electronics * .RAW, a proprietary mass spectrometry dat ...

for

WrestleMania XXX WrestleMania XXX was the 30th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming List of WWE pay-per-view and WWE Network events, event produced by WWE. It took place on April 6, 2014, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome ...

. * January 12, 2015 – WWE Raw * June 8, 2015 – WWE Raw * January 11, 2016 – WWE Raw * June 13, 2016 – WWE Raw * January 9, 2017 – WWE Raw * June 13, 2017 –

WWE SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...

* April 7, 2018 - The arena hosted NXT TakeOver: New Orleans

Gallery

Image:Showtime! — New Orleans, USA.jpg, New Orleans Arena – New Orleans Hornets Court Image:NO Arena CIMG6266.jpg, New Orleans Arena – 2006 Image:FEMA - 37671 - Aerial of repaired Super Dome in New Orleans, Louisiana.jpg, New Orleans Arena – 2008 Image:CBD from Baptist Garage 20 June 2011 Superdome and NOA.JPG, New Orleans Arena – 2011

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control 1999 establishments in Louisiana Arena football venues Basketball venues in New Orleans Boxing venues in New Orleans College basketball venues in the United States College volleyball venues in the United States Convention centers in Louisiana Defunct indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Gymnastics venues in New Orleans Indoor arenas in Louisiana Indoor arenas in New Orleans Mixed martial arts venues in Louisiana Music venues in Louisiana National Basketball Association venues New Orleans Brass arenas New Orleans Hornets venues New Orleans Pelicans venues New Orleans VooDoo Rodeo venues in the United States Sports venues completed in 1999 Tulane Green Wave basketball venues Tulane Green Wave men's basketball Volleyball venues in New Orleans