Moda Center Information:
Location: Portland, Oregon
Address: 1 Center Court, Portland, Oregon 97227
Capacity: 19,980 (basketball)
Year Opened: 1995
Occupants: Portland Trail Blazers
The Moda Center was built in 1995 to house the NBA's Portland Trailblazers and has become one of the most respected arenas in the entire league. The Garden is one of the few remaining venues to not have its name bought by corporate sponsorship and it boasts various improvements that keep it in the upper echelon of basketball arenas. The building sits at one end of the Moda Center complex that also features Memorial Coliseum and a large-scale shopping and entertainment center. Inside, the arena offers more than 20,000 seats and the concourses are decked out in Trailblazers colors from the tiles to the escalators. In addition to its cutting-edge features, the Moda Center also responded to consumer demand with an astonishing 32 bathrooms with three times more women's restrooms available than men's, which can make the halftime rush much easier.
The Portland Trailblazers are one of the most successful franchises in NBA history, and they always seem to be in the thick of the NBA title race. The 1977 Trailblazers won the NBA title behind the strength of Hall of Famer Bill Walton and a bevy of role players containing Maurice Lucas, Bob Gross and Dave Twardzik. The Trailblazers triumphed over the Julius Erving-led Philadelphia 76ers to capture Portland's only professional sports title.
In recent years, the Trailblazers have been regular participants in the playoffs and last made the conference finals in 2000. The team has gone through a few periods of rebuilding, but in a competitive Western Conference, there is always a high-quality match up about to happen at the Moda Center.
The Moda Center is also Portland's primary concert and event center and has played host to hundreds of musical performances over the years. The Garden has showcased such big acts as Britney Spears' The Femme Fatale Tour, Ozzy Osbourne's Black Rain Tour, Keith Urban's Escape Together World Tour and many more.
The city of Portland's Moda Center has plenty to offer sports and entertainment fans alike. The venue is widely considered one of the best buildings in the NBA, and anyone who drops into town has to check out a game or a show at the phenomenal arena.