Lakefront Arena has stood on the campus once known as the University of New Orleans since November 1, 1983, when Lionel Richie christened the building with two sold-out concerts. Officially named the Senator Nat G. Kiefer LSU New Orleans Lakefront Arena, the venue sits near the shore of Lake Pontchartrain at 6801 Franklin Avenue and has served as the home court for LSU New Orleans Privateers basketball for more than four decades.
Beyond college hoops, the arena built a reputation as one of the city’s go-to mid-sized venues for concerts, wrestling, and mixed martial arts, drawing acts from Prince to Nirvana over the years. Hurricane Katrina forced a nearly three-year closure in 2005 after the building sustained major damage, but it reopened in May 2008 and has continued hosting Privateers games and touring events ever since.
- Atlanta Hawks played here 1984–1985. See every Hawks arena →
Stats at a Glance
- Team(s): LSU New Orleans Privateers (men’s and women’s basketball)
- Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Opened: November 1, 1983
- Capacity: 8,933
- Reopened after Katrina: May 2, 2008
- Notable fact: Hosted the 1991 NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four
A Court With Local Legends
The arena’s basketball history includes one of the most famous scoring feats in NBA lore: on March 12, 1985, the Boston Celtics played the Atlanta Hawks in one of the Hawks’ regular-season “home” games at Lakefront Arena, and Larry Bird poured in a career-high 60 points in a 126-115 win, hitting the milestone on the game’s final shot. The building later hosted the 1991 NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four, where Tennessee beat Virginia 70-67 in overtime for the national title, cementing the arena’s place on the national college basketball map despite its mid-major hometown tenant.
Concerts, Combat, and Comebacks
Lakefront Arena’s flexible bowl has long doubled as a concert hall and combat-sports venue, hosting WCW’s Halloween Havoc in 1993, UFC 27 in 2000, and touring shows from Van Halen and Nirvana. Pope John Paul II also held an outdoor mass on the surrounding grounds that drew over 150,000 people. After Hurricane Katrina shuttered the arena for nearly three years, its 2008 reopening signaled the building’s return as a community gathering spot on the lakefront.
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For upper-deck seats. Watch line play at the stadium, or the far side of the park from the top of a lift hill.
Lakefront Arena FAQs
Who plays at Lakefront Arena?
The LSU New Orleans Privateers men’s and women’s basketball teams play their home games at Lakefront Arena.
How many people does Lakefront Arena hold?
The arena seats about 8,933 for most events, though configurations have varied slightly over the decades.
Did Lakefront Arena close after Hurricane Katrina?
Yes, the arena sustained major damage in 2005 and was closed for repairs for nearly three years before reopening in May 2008.
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Photo: Spatms / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.