Smoothie King Center Considered One of the Most Dangerous in NBA

It’s no secret the Smoothie King Center in downtown New Orleans and home to the city’s NBA franchise Pelicans is due for a major renovation upgrade or replacement.

During the pre-season the Pelicans played an exhibition game against Atlanta in Birmingham, Alabama where Legacy Arena underwent $125 million in renovations.

Pelicans beat writer Christian Clark for nola.com said the team thought the arena was stunning.

"Members of the Pelicans organization were impressed by the Squadron’s sparkling new home. Some players and staffers were so impressed, they remarked that it seemed to be a nicer venue than Smoothie King Center."

Clark also mentioned in his article, once the construction is done with the Superdome, around August 2024, the organization will move their focus to the Smoothie King.

But will it matter if it’s built in the same location.

Pickswise.com just released a study and Smoothie King Arena was considered one of the most dangerous in the NBA.

• Smoothie King Center has the NBA's fifth-highest violent crime rate with 13.85 violent crimes per 1,000 residents in the arena's zip code

• 66.7% of male fans would not feel comfortable leaving a female partner or family member alone at Smoothie King Center, the highest rate among NBA arenas

• 27% of NBA fans have witnessed a crime at or around an NBA arena

Arenas in Salt Lake City (Delta Center) and Denver (Pepsi Arena) rank more dangerous than in New Orleans and their arenas older than the Smoothie King Arena.