The Largest Basketball Arenas in the World

The largest basketball arenas in the world do not only hold the bragging rights in numbers but also in architecture. They are magnificent buildings that portray state of the art technology and breathtaking engineering concepts. Below are the largest basketball arenas in the world.

The Largest Basketball Arenas In The World

Philippine Arena

The Philippine Arena, the world's biggest basketball venue, is located in Bulacan, Philippines. A South Korean company, Hanwha Engineering and Construction began the construction in August 2011 and completed it on May 30, 2014, before it was fully inaugurated on July 21, 2014. The Arena has an indoor capacity of 55,000 and an outdoor capacity of 50,000 to witness the live games. The seating bowl of the arena is one sided and divided into two parts; a lower and an upper bowl each with a seating capacity of 25,000. The arena is built on 1,068,000 sq ft of land and its dome is approximately 97,000 square ft. In 2013, it was awarded the best sports project in Asia under the "medium cap project" by the World Finance. It also holds the Guinness World Record for the largest mixed-use indoor theater.

Carrier Dome

Carrier Dome is located in Syracuse, New York, and is home to the Syracuse Orange men and women basketball teams. The arena’s highest capacity during a basketball game is 35,446 but has a maximum seating capacity of 49,250. It is owned by the Syracuse University, making it not only the largest college domed arena but also the but also the largest domed arena in the Northeastern United States. It is also the largest on-campus basketball arena in the United States. The dome was constructed between April 1979 and September 1980 at the cost of $26.85 million. It has undergone major refurbishment to suit modern demands including the replacement of the inflatable roof at the cost of $14 million in 1999.

Araneta Coliseum

The Smart Araneta Coliseum popularly known as the Big Dome is part of the Araneta Center in Quezon City, Philippines. The 25,000 capacity basketball arena was constructed between 1957 and 1959 and remains one of the largest clear span domes in the world. It sits on a total area of 430,000 sq ft and has a floor area of 250,000 sq ft. It hosts the Philippine Basketball Association games and the University basketball league games. The men’s university league games between the FEU Tamaraws and NU Bulldogs hold the record attendance of 25,138 in 2014.

Rupp Arena

Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, U.S, is part of the Lexington Center and serves as the home of University of Kentucky men's basketball. It is the largest arena in the US specifically made for basketball with an official capacity of 23,500. The sitting arrangement is divided into upper and lower sitting bowls; the lower bowl consists of chair-back seats and a standing zone, while the upper bowl consists of bleacher bench seats. Since it was opened in 1976, it has undergone major refurbishments including a $15.8 million renovation in 2015. It recorded an attendance record of 24,480 in 2010 during the Kentucky Wildcats Vs Louisville game.

Other Notable Basketball Arenas

Other large basketball arenas include the 23,377 capacity Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, United States, the KFC Yum! Center with a capacity of 22,090, the Dean Smith Center with a capacity of 21,750, in Chapel Hill, United States, and the Thompson-Boling Arena with a capacity of 21,678 in Knoxville, United States.