Best & Worst NBA Cities for Traveling Fans in 2025

By Bill Speros Oct 10th, 2025 4:32 PM EDT

Stuff The Magic Dragon keeps the crowd at KIA Center entertained. (USA TODAY)

The NBA season begins on Oct. 21. Fans often work games into their travel plans. Sometimes, showing the visiting team’s colors can be a little stressful. Then again, there’s nothing quite like being the only person cheering when your team wins. With all that, Bookies.com has ranked the Best & Worst NBA Cities for Traveling Fans In 2025.

Ahead of the 2025-26 NBA Season, Bookies.com came up with a scoring system that ranks NBA teams from the best to worst cities for away fans. We factored in average flight cost into and out of the closest airport (according to Kayak.com), rating of the top things to do in the area according to TripAdvisor, average hotel cost to stay nearby (according to Kayak.com), and the average ticket price. The overall ranking in our Best & Worst NBA Cities for Traveling Fans In 2025. based on the average ranking for each of those factors.

NBA games can be a highlight of any vacation, a good way to spend a night while traveling on business, or a nice excuse to get away for the weekend.

But with all NBA games, be aware of the potential for top tier players to be sitting out due to “load management" when considering the Best & Worst NBA Cities for Traveling Fans In 2025.

What Are The Best NBA Cities For Away Fans?

Using the methodology noted above, here is the Bookies.com ranking of all 30 NBA cities/teams for away fans.

Rank	Team	Average Ranking
1	Orlando Magic	4.0
2	Portland Trail Blazers	6.8
3	Cleveland Cavaliers	9.3
4	San Antonio Spurs	9.8
5	Sacramento Kings	10.3
6	Indiana Pacers	10.5
7	New Orleans Pelicans	10.8
8	Atlanta Hawks	11.0
9	Memphis Grizzlies	11.3
10	Philadelphia 76ers	11.8
11	Golden State Warriors	12.5
12	Charlotte Hornets	12.8
13	Chicago Bulls	13.0
14	Milwaukee Bucks	13.3
15	Phoenix Suns	13.5
16	Oklahoma City Thunder	14.3
17	Washington Wizards	15.3
18	Houston Rockets	15.5
19	Denver Nuggets	15.8
T20	Detroit Pistons	16.3
T20	Boston Celtics	16.3
22	Utah Jazz	17.0
23	Dallas Mavericks	18.5
24	Toronto Raptors	18.8
T25	Minnesota Timberwolves	19.3
T25	Miami Heat	19.3
27	New York Knicks	20.0
28	Los Angeles Clippers	21.0
29	Los Angeles Lakers	22.5
30	Brooklyn Nets	23.0

Magic’s Kingdom Ranks Atop Visiting Fan List

Thanks to its world-renowned theme parks, temperate weather during the NBA season, and everything else Central Florida has to offer tourists, Orlando ranks atop our Best & Worst NBA Cities for Traveling Fans In 2025 list. The City Beautiful and its surrounding counties boast more than 129,000 hotel rooms. Thus, you’ll always have a place to stay.

They range from low-end, locally owned motels to 5-star theme-park properties. Meanwhile Orlando International Airport offers non-stop flights to more than 170 destinations. Of the 30 NBA teams, 18 are less than a 3-hour, non-stop flight from MCO.

The Magic play at KIA Center. They reached the first round of the playoffs last season after finishing 41-41. The Magic boast a young roster with burgeoning talent but slipped a bit down the stretch last season following injuries to Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Moe Wagner.

Orlando’s stingy defense leaves the Magic as a favorite to repeat at Southeast Division champs. And the Magic added an outside threat by trading for Desmond Bane, a career 41% 3-point shooter.

Big Apple Bites When It Comes To Visting Fans

The Nets enter Year 500 of their rebuild, thanks to that, in part, the Nets rank at the bottom of our Best & Worst NBA Cities for Traveling Fans In 2025 list. This year’s team expects to roll out 5 rookies on its opening night roster. Barclays Center and Madison Square Garden are a mere 14-minute drive apart, at 3 a.m. when there’s no traffic. They are 4.7 miles from each other on a straight line. The 2 or 3 red MTA subway takes you between the venues in 20 minutes.

Any trip to New York City leaves you within an hour of either venue, depending on time, traffic, and available public transportation. If your plans keep you within Brooklyn, domestic flights to JFK tend to skew higher than those to LaGuardia, or even Newark.

Stays on Manhattan consistently cost more than those in Brooklyn, or across the Hudson River in New Jersey. The Knicks could be the biggest attraction off Broadway this winter and next spring. They reached the conference finals after knocking out defending champion Boston. They are the No. 2 favorite from the East to win the NBA Finals at +1000.

Going Hollywood To See LeBron Won’t Be Cheap

LeBron James’ “Second Decision” turned out to be a liquor advertisement. Speculation surrounding James’ retirement from The Association continues to simmer. Hitting the road to see the Lakers, who play at Crypto.Com Arena in Downtown LA, and/or the Clippers, who play at Intuit Dome next to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, remains a costly endeavor.

James teams with Luka Dončić for their first full season together. The Lakers are in the second tier of betting favorites at +1500 to win the NBA Finals. They added some defensive heft with Marcus Smart.

Best Time Of Season To Hit The Road?

The cheapest months to fly to New York or Los Angeles are typically the winter months of January, February, and March. This is considered the low season with fewer crowds and lower prices, especially outside of holiday weekends. When heading to LA, you may also find cheaper fares during the shoulder seasons of October and November, when the weather is still pleasant, but demand has dropped. 

In both cases, to find the best deals, be flexible, consider flying on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or on holidays, and book flights 2-4 weeks in advance.

Conversely, fans wishing to fly to Orlando will get the best flight, hotel and car rental deals before Thanksgiving and after New Year’s Day through the start of March, and Spring and Easter Break.

Q&A

Q: What makes Orlando the best NBA city for visiting fans?

A: Orlando ranked No. 1 thanks to its affordable travel and entertainment options. The average flight costs, hotel prices are among the lowest in the league, and top attractions like Disney World and Universal Studios give fans plenty to enjoy beyond the court. Combine that with reasonable ticket prices to see the Magic, and Orlando stands out as the ultimate destination for an NBA road trip.

Q: Why do cities like Brooklyn and Los Angeles rank so low for away fans?

A: The bottom of the list is dominated by major metro areas such as Brooklyn and Los Angeles, where travel and lodging costs soar. Both cities have average flight prices well above the national mean, higher-than-average hotel rates, and expensive game tickets. While the entertainment scene is unmatched, the steep prices make them tougher destinations for visiting fans on a budget.

Q: Which underrated cities offer great value for NBA road trips?

A: Mid-market cities like Cleveland, San Antonio, and Sacramento cracked the top five for their combination of affordability and experience. Flights into these cities average lower, hotel rates are budget-friendly, and local attractions score highly on TripAdvisor. For fans who want an authentic basketball experience without breaking the bank, these are hidden gems for 2025-26 road trips.

Comments

Sign In | Sign Up

Post

View more