New Orleans Arena

Address:1501 Girod Street
New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans Arena opened in 1999, and is a poster child for the motto "if you build it he will come." With the construction of a state of the art arena built to major league specifications, the "Big Easy" was counting on the eventual arrival of a major league tenant to their new facility. That gamble was rewarded when the ownership team of the Hornets bolted from Charlotte and moved their team to open and waiting arms in New Orleans for the 2002-03 season. After a 23 year absence, following the Jazz' relocation to Utah, the NBA was back in New Orleans. The New Orleans Arena is also home to some Tulane University Green Wave basketball games, as well as some high school basketball games and other special events. Since February 2004, the New Orleans VooDoo, of the Arena Football League (AFL), has played their home games in the arena. The arena seats 18,000 for basketball and 16,500 for arena football, and features 56 luxury suites.

The arena itself is an octagon shaped building, and the south side, along Girot Street, serves as the building's main entrance. There is a second entrance on the west side of the building. Both entrances are built with massive glass facades which soar to the top of the building. Girot Street is closed off to traffic on game days, and this area is roped off as a party zone full of pregame activities and entertainment. A stage is set up with jazz and blues players; there are hoops contests, and even a tug of war pit. Given the warm winter weather here, such an outdoor set up works nicely. Seating is divided into lower and upper levels, divided by a separate suite level. The seats here are checker colored in dark blue, light blue, and gray. What really makes the seating bowl special is the 360 degree digital LED board, which wraps around the entire circumference of the suite level balcony. The Hornets utilize this display to the max, offering a constant, well presented barrage of cool special effects, scrolling ads, and bouncing logos throughout the game. They use their board more creatively than anywhere else in the league, and it is a show to enjoy! Another thing unique to New Orleans Arena is that they don't just do the National Anthem before the game here, but they do an Invocation, delivered by a member of the New Orleans clergy, as well. At the inaugural game, the Mayor of the city gave the invocation where he asked God to bring a win over the visiting Utah Jazz, and an NBA championship to the city of New Orleans. New Orleans is not known to be the greatest of sports cities, but the local fans have really taken a shine to their Hornets, and those in attendance are very loud and enthusiastic.

Following Hurricane Katrina, on August 29, 2005, medical operations that had previously been housed in the neighboring Louisiana 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 therefore in better condition to house sensitive medical operations. Due to the catastrophic devastation brought by Katrina, the New Orleans Hornets relocated their base of operations to Oklahoma City from 2005-2007 and played their home games at the Ford Center. On March 8, 2006, the New Orleans Arena reopened, and the Hornets played their first game since the 2005-06 season to a sellout crowd. The return was triumphant, even if the game itself was a 113-107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Hornets returned to New Orleans full-time for the 2007-2008 season, with all 41 home games played in the New Orleans Arena.

Highlight events that have been held at the arena were the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, 2007ArenaBowl XXI and the 2004 Women's Final Four. On Wednesday 5 July, 2006, the New Orleans Arena accommodated its largest crowd ever, for any event, during a concert, with country music legends, and spouses, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill performing. The New Orleans Arena is also slated to host the 2012 Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament, the first and second rounds of the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, and the 2008 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament Southern Regionals.

New Orleans Arena is located in the central business district, in the northwest corner of downtown New Orleans, and is immediately adjacent to the Louisiana Superdome. Located on Girot Street, access to the venue is via the grid of downtown streets, or directly off of I-10 by simply taking the Superdome exits. There is public transportation throughout the downtown area, and the venue is a brisk walk from most downtown hotels, as well as the French Quarter. Parking costs around $10 in the Superdome garage, and you can find surface lots on the north and west sides of the building as well.