SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Golden 1 Center draws large crowds to the downtown area, but how does it compare to the rest of the NBA’s venues?
According to ESPN NBA insiders, the Sacramento Kings’ home venue is considered the best in the league.
In a report released ahead of the Kings’ season opener, ESPN asked its NBA insiders to rank each NBA arena, with the exception of the brand new Intuit Dome in Inglewood.
The downtown Sacramento arena topped the list ahead of venues in bigger markets, such as Madison Square Garden in New York City, Chase Center in San Francisco, TD Garden in Boston, Barclays Center in Brooklyn and Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Along with independent research from ESPN, NBA insiders were asked to score each arena on a scale of 1-5 in four categories: accessibility/location, food/concessions, amenities and overall fan experience. Those scores were averaged to give each arena a final rank, ESPN’s report said.
“Small market, elite arena,” ESPN’s report said. “There might not be a more underrated arena in the league than the Golden 1 Center. It doesn’t have the nostalgia of Arco Arena, which closed in 2022, but it makes up for it with top-notch food, amenities and fan experience.”
“This arena claims the No. 1 spot in our rankings after scoring in the top 5 in all four categories and No. 1 in accessibility and location,” ESPN continued.
In its rankings, ESPN also noted the team’s iconic purple victory beam, which lights up from the top of the building after every Kings win.
Since opening in 2016, the Golden 1 Center has become the crown jewel of Sacramento, hosting several live events such as concerts, WWE and March Madness.
According to a 2024 economic report, the Golden 1 Center has generated billions of dollars to the region and downtown businesses since it was built. The report said the arena contributed to $42 billion in visitor spending, $2.6 million in city tax revenue and $22 million in county, school, local and state taxes.
The Golden 1 Center anchors the Downtown Commons, an outdoor plaza filled with restaurants and shops. The venue is also within miles of restaurants, bars and clubs in the downtown area.
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