Smoothie King Center

• 1. Introduction

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  Smoothie King Center cost $114 million to build and opened on the 19th of October 1999 in the heart of New Orleans. Locals call it The Blender. The arena sits in the Central Business District, directly adjacent to the Caesars Superdome. That proximity would become a matter of life and death within a few years of opening. How a building carves out an identity in the shadow of one of America's most iconic stadiums is a question worth exploring. In New Orleans, the answer involves ice hockey, a deadly storm, and a smoothie company.

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• 2. The Brass and the VooDoo

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  The New Orleans Brass of the ECHL were the arena's first resident team, playing their first home game there in 1999. The Brass occupied the building for their final three seasons. When the NBA's New Orleans Hornets arrived in 2002, they persuaded the state government to act. The state required the Brass to pay for converting the arena between basketball and hockey configurations. That expense proved more than the team could manage, and with no alternative venue available in the city, the Brass folded.

  The New Orleans VooDoo of the Arena Football League arrived in February 2004, filling the gap left by ice hockey. The VooDoo disbanded in 2008 but returned to the arena in March 2011. Their second run lasted until after the 2015 AFL season, when the franchise folded for good. ArenaBowl XXV came to New Orleans in 2012, while the VooDoo were still playing their second stint there.

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• 3. Shelter Through the Storm

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  On the 29th of August 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and transformed the arena's role overnight. Medical operations that had been housed in the nearby Superdome were transferred to the arena's floor. Personnel at the Superdome had been working under leaking ceilings, in poor lighting, on soggy carpet. The arena's structure had held up through the storm. Its design had been tested in 1996 by CPP, a wind engineering consulting firm. The building was in better condition than its neighbor and could house sensitive medical operations. Unlike the Superdome, the arena reopened to regular activities within one month of the hurricane.

  When the Hornets returned on the 8th of March 2006, a crowd of 17,744 filled every seat for the first home game since Katrina. The Los Angeles Lakers defeated New Orleans that night, 113-107. The arena seats 18,500 for college basketball and playoff games. That capacity would be put to use when the NCAA tournament came to the building the following year.

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• 4. Jazz, Hornets, and Pelicans

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  On the 30th of October 2002, the New Orleans Hornets played their first home game at the arena, facing the Utah Jazz. The Jazz had called New Orleans home from 1974 to 1979, giving the matchup an unusual connection to the city's basketball past. The Hornets later became the New Orleans Pelicans, and together the two versions of the franchise built a strong home record at the arena. Through the end of the 2018-19 season, the team had compiled a record of 341-275 in regular season home games. In the playoffs, the mark stood at 15-9.

  The arena's ceiling rises 65 feet to the beam and 70 feet to the top, a scale that proved accommodating to events well beyond basketball.

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• 5. A New Name Takes Hold

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  In 2006, the arena installed a centerhung video and scoring system from Daktronics. The setup included two ring displays and eight video screens. All of it was integrated with more than 875 feet of ribbon display technology added to the building in 2002. In the summer of 2008, new see-through shot clocks from Daktronics replaced the earlier box units.

  In 2013, the arena underwent a significant interior renovation focused on the gameday experience. Updates came to the suites and club levels, with new Loge Boxes and a Party Perch area added for spectators. Concession stands were upgraded, and new LED boards were installed throughout.

  On the 5th of February 2014, a 10-year naming rights agreement was announced, rechristening the arena as Smoothie King Center. New Orleans Arena, as it had long been called, was taking on a new corporate identity.

  In September and October of 2014, the exterior received a separate makeover. Workers painted the building from bluish green to light gray and added new entrance points. A new outer LED lighting system was installed, modeled on the one at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. A planned overhang was ultimately not carried through. The NBA seating capacity of 17,200 at the arena's opening had declined through several adjustments to 16,867 by 2014.

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• 6. A Venue for Champions

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  The 2017 NBA All-Star Game was originally assigned to Charlotte's Spectrum Center. The NBA relocated it to New Orleans after North Carolina enacted the bathroom bill, making this the third time the arena had hosted the event. The 2008 All-Star Game had been the first, followed by 2014.

  The Southeast Regional of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was held at the arena in 2011. First and second round tournament games had come to the building in 2007 and 2010. The 2012 Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament also took place there. The Women's Final Four was staged at the arena in both 2004 and 2013. A third Women's Final Four scheduled for 2020 was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Final Four was held there in December 2002. The 2019 and 2024 SEC gymnastics championships were both held at the arena.

  On the 9th of September 2000, Roy Jones Jr. defeated Eric Harding by technical knockout in the 10th round. The bout was a light heavyweight title fight. ArenaBowl XXI in 2007 and ArenaBowl XXII in 2008 brought the Arena Football League championship to New Orleans in back-to-back years. UFC Fight Night on the 6th of June 2015 featured Boetsch versus Henderson.

  The Royal Rumble was held at the arena in 2001. Extreme Rules in 2009, Hell in a Cell in 2011, and Elimination Chamber in 2013 followed. During WrestleMania XXX weekend in 2014, the arena hosted the WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony and a subsequent episode of Raw. In 2018, for WrestleMania 34 weekend, the building hosted NXT TakeOver, the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, and episodes of both Raw and SmackDown.

  On the 19th of July 2025, UFC 318 featured Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier in their third meeting.

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