- Address: 1501 Dave Dixon Drive, New Orleans
- Country: United States
- Capacity: 16,000
- Opened: 29 October 1999
- Main use: Basketball
- Tenants: New Orleans Pelicans (basketball)
Extra stadium info – Smoothie King Center
The construction costs of the venue, which opened as the New Orleans Arena, were $114 million. The arena is named after a smoothie company. The company was founded in 1973. In 2012, the smoothie company was bought by a Korean franchisee. In the late 2010s, the company was focusing more on whole and unmodified ingredients. The smoothie company was focusing on an initiative whereby stores’ menus featured more smoothies with whole fruits and vegetables.
The New Orleans Brass and Ted Sator
The Smoothie King Center opened as the home of the New Orleans Brass. The former ice hockey club was founded in 1997. The club was dissolved in 2002. Ted Sator was the only manager of the New Orleans Brass. He was born in 1949 in New York. Sator was named manager of the New York Rangers in 1985. In 1986, he almost reached the championship series of the National Hockey League with the Rangers. Ted Sator also managed the Buffalo Sabres, another NHL club, in the 1980s.
The New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans use the Smoothie King Center for home matches. The basketball club was founded in 2002 as the New Orleans Hornets. The Pelicans play in the National Basketball Association, which became the most popular basketball league in the world. They drew an average home attendance of 15,000 in their maiden National Basketball Association season.
Pierre the Pelican
Pierre the Pelican became the official mascot for the Pelicans. He was introduced on 30 October 2013. The New Orleans Pelicans faced the Indiana Pacers at the Smoothie King Center that day. The name of the mascot was selected through an online poll on the official website of the New Orleans Pelicans. The design of the mascot frightened some fans. The mascot’s redesigned head was released on 11 February 2014.

