A history of NBA attendance: The largest and smallest crowds ever

On this episode of Over and Back, Jason and Rich discuss the history of NBA attendance, focusing on the largest and smallest crowds in league history.

To celebrate the San Antonio Spurs’ “Back Home in the Dome” game on January 13, 2023, against the Golden State Warriors, the Over & Back Podcast dives deep into NBA attendance history!

We begin the show with a focus on the NBA’s largest-attended games in history, including:

• The 2010 NBA All-Star Game which set the all-time indoor attendance record
• Three games from the Detroit Pistons’ time playing in the Pontiac Silverdome
  • March 30, 1988 vs. Atlanta Hawks
  • February 14, 1987 vs. Philadelphia 76ers
  • January 29, 1988 vs. Boston Celtics
• Two highly-attended games from the Minnesota Timberwolves brief stint playing in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
  • April 13, 1990 vs. Orlando Magic
  • April 17, 1990 vs. Denver Nuggets
• The NBA’s all-time regular season record attendance when Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls came to the Georgia Dome on March 27, 1998, to face off with the Atlanta Hawks.

Additional topics on the show include:

• A look at the phenomenon that was Michael Jordan’s return to the league and how it propped up NBA attendance, particularly for the Chicago Bulls
• A decade-by-decade look at the best and worst teams attendance-wise
• Some of the worst-attended games on record in NBA history
• and more!

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