Every NBA Arena ranked by altitude above sea level ahead of...

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.

Denver – 5280 feet
Utah – 4265 feet
Oklahoma City – 1199 feet
Atlanta – 1023 feet
Detroit – 968 feet
Minnesota – 845 feet
Charlotte – 721 feet
Indiana – 707 feet
Cleveland – 669 feet
San Antonio – 641 feet
Chicago – 593 feet
Milwaukee – 593 feet
Dallas – 426 feet
Toronto – 260 feet
Memphis – 250 feet
Los Angeles – 239 feet
Orlando – 106 feet
Portland – 92 feet
San Francisco – 52 feet
Brooklyn – 49 feet
Washington – 46 feet
Houston – 45 feet
New York – 35 feet
Sacramento – 34 feet
Philadelphia – 18 feet
Boston – 10 feet
Miami – 5 feet
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.