ARCO Arena opened on November 8, 1988, in the Natomas neighborhood of Sacramento, California, replacing a smaller temporary arena the Kings had used since relocating from Kansas City in 1985. Built for about $40 million, a modest price even by late-1980s NBA standards, the arena held 17,317 fans for basketball and concerts and became one of the league’s most recognizable mid-size venues.
Over nearly three decades, ARCO Arena was renamed Power Balance Pavilion (2011-2012) and then Sleep Train Arena (2012-2022) before briefly reverting to its original name in its final year. It served as the primary home of the Sacramento Kings from 1988 until 2016, when the team moved downtown to Golden 1 Center, and also hosted the WNBA’s Sacramento Monarchs through their 2009 dissolution.
- Sacramento Kings played here 1988–2016. See every Kings arena →
Stats at a Glance
- Team(s): Sacramento Kings (NBA, 1988-2016); Sacramento Monarchs (WNBA, 1997-2009)
- Location: Natomas, Sacramento, California
- Opened: November 8, 1988
- Closed: March 19, 2022; demolished later that year
- Capacity: about 17,317 for basketball and concerts
- Construction Cost: about $40 million
- Notable Fact: set a Guinness World Record for loudest crowd roar at an arena, around 126 decibels, in 2013
Home of the Kings
ARCO Arena backed some of the Sacramento Kings’ most memorable seasons, including nine playoff appearances and a run to the 2002 Western Conference Finals. Its close-packed seating bowl made it one of the loudest venues in the NBA, a reputation players and broadcasters frequently noted during the team’s deep playoff runs in the early 2000s.
The arena also hosted roughly 200 events a year beyond Kings basketball, including concerts, the AFL’s Sacramento Attack, and indoor soccer’s Sacramento Knights, making it a general-purpose hub for the region before Golden 1 Center opened downtown.
Closure and Demolition
After the Kings departed for Golden 1 Center in 2016, the arena continued hosting occasional events under the Sleep Train Arena name before closing for good on March 19, 2022. Crews demolished the building between August and October 2022, and the site was later slated for redevelopment by California Northstate University as a medical school and hospital campus.
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ARCO Arena FAQs
What teams played at ARCO Arena?
The Sacramento Kings (NBA) called it home from 1988 to 2016, and the Sacramento Monarchs (WNBA) played there from 1997 until the franchise folded in 2009.
What was ARCO Arena’s seating capacity?
It held about 17,317 fans for basketball games and concerts.
Is ARCO Arena still standing?
No. The arena closed on March 19, 2022, and was demolished between August and October 2022.
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Photo: CLopez63 / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.