Local basketball fans know all about the amenities that Los Angeles and the Crypto.com Center have to offer, but do visiting fans have a good experience when they travel to see their team?
The answer, according to sports betting research company Oddspedia, is yes; L.A. offers visiting basketball watchers some of the best overall gameday experiences in the NBA.
A study conducted by Oddspedia ranked all 29 NBA arenas by assessing their quality (including capacity and local ratings), gameday costs, travel and accommodation ease, nearby entertainment options and each city’s sports culture. Each category was put on a 100-point scale and then averaged, with scores closer to 500 representing more visitor-friendly arenas.
L.A. and Crypto.com Arena ranked fourth on the list of best destinations, the study found, noting that while the legendary home of the Lakers and Clippers is one of the most expensive in the league, the gameday atmosphere is among the NBA’s best, not to mention that the City of Angels is home to some of America’s most popular tourist attractions.
When coming to Los Angeles and Crypto, Oddspedia researchers advised traveling fans to “plan on spending more than you might expect [in order] to get your visitations’ worth.”
Taking the cake as the most visitor-friendly city and stadium, according to Oddspedia, is the home of the reigning NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets.
The study found that Ball Arena, located in downtown Denver and surrounded by the Rocky Mountains, is among the most pocket-friendly venues in the league and offers seats with some of the best sightlines, meaning that the experience of watching your team take on 2021 and 2022 NBA MVP Nikola Jokic is that much more enjoyable.
Oddspedia’s best NBA arenas for visiting fans can be viewed in the table below:
Rank | Arena | Team | Score out of 500 |
1. | Ball Arena | Denver Nuggets | 396 |
2. | Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse | Cleveland Cavaliers | 392 |
3. | Gainbridge Fieldhouse | Indiana Pacers | 387 |
4. | Crypto.com Center | Los Angeles Lakers/Clippers | 373 |
5. | Capital One Arena | Washington Wizards | 362 |
6. | Madison Square Garden | New York Knicks | 362 |
7. | Scotiabank Arena | Toronto Raptors | 361 |
8. | Kaseya Center | Miami Heat | 359 |
9. | Target Center | Minnesota Timberwolves | 353 |
10. | Footprint Center | Phoenix Suns | 350 |
11. | Kia Center | Orlando Magic | 343 |
12. | State Farm Arena | Atlanta Hawks | 335 |
13. | Wells Fargo Center | Philadelphia 76ers | 332 |
14. | American Airlines Center | Dallas Mavericks | 328 |
15. | Little Caesars Arena | Detroit Pistons | 322 |
16. | Toyota Center | Houston Rockets | 319 |
17. | United Center | Chicago Bulls | 315 |
18. | Spectrum Center | Charlotte Hornets | 307 |
19. | Moda Center | Portland Trail Blazers | 298 |
20. | TD Garden | Boston Celtics | 296 |
21. | Smoothie King Center | New Orleans Pelicans | 293 |
22. | Barclays Center | Brooklyn Nets | 293 |
23. | Fiserv Forum | Milwaukee Bucks | 275 |
24. | Paycom Center | Oklahoma City Thunder | 269 |
25. | Chase Center | Golden State Warriors | 261 |
26. | FedEx Forum | Memphis Grizzlies | 254 |
27. | Golden 1 Center | Sacramento Kings | 245 |
28. | Delta Center | Utah Jazz | 240 |
29. | Frost Bank Center | San Antonio Spurs | 209 |