The NBA Arenas Sports Fans Photograph the Most
The 2025-26 NBA season tipped off this week, and Covers.com dove into Instagram data to determine which NBA arena is the most frequently photographed.
“Some NBA arenas are built to echo,” writes Covers.com editor-in-chief James Bisson. “Others are built to be photographed.”
Although the NBA court size is the same across all 30 NBA arenas, each stadium has unique charms that make fans more excited to be there and more likely to break out their phones to capture a share-worthy photo.
Now, there is a potential caveat to consider. Bisson looked at which NBA arenas are most commonly shared on Instagram, which does a pretty good job of accounting for how often an arena is photographed, but does not necessarily determine how often an arena is photographed specifically because it is hosting an NBA game. Many of the arenas on the list, especially the ones near the top, host other sports, like the NHL, and live events. It stands to reason that hockey fans share photos of Madison Square Garden on Instagram, too, for example.
“The NBA arenas that top the list of ‘Most Instagrammed’ league venues do, indeed, benefit from being in more populous locations and/or hosting a wider range of events beyond NBA games,” Bisson tells PetaPixel. “So you’ll see venues that host multiple teams, concerts, etc., higher on the list, for sure.”
That said, Bisson adds that an NBA arena’s photographic popularity, particularly on Instagram, depends on many factors.
“With most NBA arenas now quite similar to one another, the difference in popularity from an Instagram standpoint is almost entirely connected to factors like ‘first-timer’ frequency and cultural proximity/density (the ‘I was there, too!’ factor). Location matters plenty in this regard, with arenas in popular tourist cities much more likely to produce Instagram moments than less-visited locales,” Bisson explains.
The Most Instagrammed NBA Arenas
Number one on the list is Madison Square Garden in New York City, home to the New York Knicks. Bisson says there are approximately 2.3 million posts from the arena, which is an absurdly high number nearly six times higher than number two on the list. He cites the arena’s history, signature marquee lights, and iconic ceiling dome as key factors in why the arena is so often photographed.
Number two on the list is Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the stomping grounds of the Brooklyn Nets. Although just across the East River, there are far fewer photos of the modern, bold Barclays Center — 401,000.
Landing in third spot is TD Garden in Boston. The Celtics’ historic parquet-patterned hard floor is popular on social media, as are the team’s NBA-record 18 championship banners. Given that Boston is a much smaller city than New York, the nearly 270,000 Instagram posts are pretty impressive.
Another historic team’s arena lands in fourth spot: the United Center in Chicago. The arena’s Michael Jordan statue is a common photo subject among the 219,000 tagged posts on Instagram.
The most surprising arena on the list might be the Moda Center at number five. Home of the Portland Trailblazers, Moda Center is more commonly photographed than arenas in Houston, San Francisco, Dallas, and Los Angeles. Portland loves its Blazers.
For those who plan to take in an NBA game this season and want to capture nice photos of their experiences, Bisson says sports fans should “Prioritize snapping from the concourse entrance, if you’re able to access it. You’ll get some terrific views of the arena from floor level.”
It’s undoubtedly easier capturing NBA photos as a fan than as a professional sports photographer.
Bisson adds that stepping into the aisle is much better than shooting from your seats, and angling your phone downward can help show depth in the photo.
“Always shoot tall,” Bisson adds. “It’s more IG-friendly and appeals to typical NBA arena structure where there’s plenty of good stuff up high.”
The complete top 10 list of the Most Instagrammed NBA arenas is available on Covers.com.
Image credits: USA Today
