Out of curiosity, I was wondering what the Hornets home in NOLA was like and may be again. According to this source, http://basketball.ballparks.com/NBA/NewOrleansHornets/, the arena has a basketball seating capacity of 18,500. The arena opened October 1999. According to http://cityguide.aol.com/neworleans/entertainment/venue.adp?sbid=116580422, it contains 56 suites plus a party suite which seats 140 patrons.

Here are some pics I located:

Arena Exterior

http://www.dougloudenback.com/hornets/nolaarena1.jpg

Seating Chart In Arena

http://www.dougloudenback.com/hornets/nolaarena.gif

A few game pics showing Hornets & Fans

http://www.dougloudenback.com/hornets/nolaarena2.jpg

http://www.dougloudenback.com/hornets/nolaarena3.jpg

http://www.dougloudenback.com/hornets/nolaarena4.jpg

Doug, I thought the arena only held 17,500?

Doug, I thought the arena only held 17,500?

I'd heard that, too, but I'm just quoting from the sources identified in my 1st post. I have no personal knowledge.

Doug, I thought the arena only held 17,500?

On further checking, the PDF Facilities Guide, p. 40, at http://www.neworleansarena.com/site6.php , shows seating capacity basketball to be 18,000 ... but it might be different depending on whether (for example) Tulane or the Hornets are playing there. I dunno.

The numbers keep changing. The folks on the NOLA Hornets site claim the arena only seats 17,000, but of course they're trying to provide a reason for their low attendance numbers.