Every NBA Arena ranked by altitude above sea level ahead of Nuggets-Jazz showdown

Jan 10, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) is fouled
Jan 10, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) is fouled / Christopher Creveling-USA TODAY Sports
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As the Denver Nuggets get set to take on the Utah Jazz on Saturday night, without even looking to see where the game is played, fans can count on one certainty: high altitude. Over the years, both Utah and Denver have gained notoriety for their home court advantages, in part due to the high altitude.

According to Physiopedia, sports performance at high altitudes can be prevented by hypoxia, which deprives the body of oxygen. High-intensity sports training and exercise can result in dehydration, low muscle mass, and low blood volume. Certain athletes have even chosen - or been forced -  to sit out games and events staged at high-altitude sites such as Denver.

Saturday night’s game will be played in Denver at Ball Arena. Denver has the highest altitude above sea level out of all 30 teams in the NBA at 5,280 feet, but Utah is not far behind at 4,265. Those are easily the two highest venues in the league. In fact, they are the only venues that are higher than 1,200 feet. But where does the rest of the league fall? 

Here is the list of all NBA cities ranked by their altitude above sea level from highest to lowest.

  1. Denver - 5280 feet
  2. Utah - 4265 feet
  3. Oklahoma City - 1199 feet
  4. Phoenix - 1086 feet
  5. Atlanta - 1023 feet
  6. Detroit - 968 feet
  7. Minnesota - 845 feet
  8. Charlotte - 721 feet
  9. Indiana - 707 feet
  10. Cleveland - 669 feet
  11. San Antonio - 641 feet
  12. Chicago - 593 feet
  13. Milwaukee - 593 feet
  14. Dallas - 426 feet
  15. Toronto - 260 feet
  16. Memphis - 250 feet
  17. Los Angeles - 239 feet
  18. Orlando - 106 feet
  19. Portland - 92 feet
  20. San Francisco - 52 feet
  21. Brooklyn - 49 feet
  22. Washington - 46 feet
  23. Houston - 45 feet
  24. New York - 35 feet
  25. Sacramento - 34 feet
  26. Philadelphia - 18 feet
  27. Boston - 10 feet
  28. Miami - 5 feet
  29. New Orleans - 2 feet

Takeaways

This list shows that the only teams that truly have any meaningful potential advantages due to elevation are the Nuggets and Jazz. They live, practice, and play in these locations, and the players should be somewhat used to the high altitudes.

Only three other cities are even 1,000 feet high, and those barely cross the threshold. Conversely, the Jazz players should be better conditioned to handle the altitude in Denver. It may not mean much, and the Jazz will likely have their hands full (especially if Nikola Jokic suits up), but it’s interesting nonetheless.

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