Smoothie King Center was built as bait.
The same week that the building’s doors opened in October 1999, then-Mayor Marc Morial publicly broached the idea of bringing one of Texas’ NBA franchises to New Orleans.
"We should be on the phone to the owners of the Spurs and the Rockets," Morial said about the possibility that voters there might vote “no” on new arenas.
New Orleans, of course, ended up persuading owners of the Charlotte Hornets to relocate to the Crescent City. The Hornets played their first game in New Orleans Arena — Smoothie King Center’s former moniker — in 2002. Wednesday’s regular-season opener against the Chicago Bulls will mark the beginning of the franchise’s 23rd season here.
As the Pelicans enter an important year, questions abound. In the short term, the focus is on how the talent the team’s front office has collected will actually fit together. One of the big overarching issues is what to do with Smoothie King Center, which is nearly 25 years old now and in need of work.
In September, The Times-Picayune obtained a copy of the facility needs assessment report a consulting group conducted on the building.
“With the Smoothie King Center having undergone minimal renovations since opening in 1999, most systems and equipment have reached or exceeded their expected usable life,” the report said.
Some of the issues highlighted are easy fixes. The retractable riser seating is original from 1999 and needs to be swapped out in the next “two to three years,” for example. All of the exterior lighting needs to be converted to LED fixtures, the report said.
Other problems are harder to solve. Smoothie King Center has a small footprint and could use more back-of-house space. Additionally, the arena has the smallest lower bowl in the NBA.
The NBA is keeping an eye on the situation. In May 2023, commissioner Adam Silver told The Times-Picayune in an exclusive statement: “Ultimately, every NBA team, regardless of location and market size, needs a model, state-of-the-art arena to compete in the league.”
For the last four years, Pelicans/Saints owner Gayle Benson and state officials have been focused on completing the Caesars Superdome renovation. That project started in 2020 and cost $560 million. Benson contributed $187 million toward the project — one-third of the cost.
Soon, Benson and state officials will have to figure out a plan for Smoothie King Center. The flare up in May — when the Saints withheld payment on the Caesars Superdome renovation, which set off a war of words — appears to be behind both parties now. Earlier this month, Gov. Jeff Landry and his wife watched the Saints play the Chiefs on Monday Night Football as Benson’s guests.
Pelicans fans should take that cordiality as a positive sign. Upgrading Smoothie King Center in a meaningful way likely will take an investment from both parties.
The Pelicans' lease at Smoothie King Center expires in June 2029. The clock on figuring out how to address the Pelicans' arena situation is ticking.
