Big Markets, In-Season Tournament Powering NBA Ticket Sales

The most in-demand teams on the secondary ticket market ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season are many of the usual suspects — but exciting new additions to the league are bolstering sales for the league as a whole.

The Golden State Warriors — in the middle of a four-title dynasty — have the highest average ticket price on the secondary market at $624, according to ticket aggregator TicketIQ. Ticket marketplace Vivid Seats has the Warriors as its most in-demand team, while StubHub has the Los Angeles Lakers; TicketIQ ranks the 17-time NBA champions second ($443).

It makes sense, then, that for the second year in a row, Vivid’s most expensive game ahead of the campaign is Lakers-Warriors, with an average sold price of $552. Lakers home games account for three of StubHub’s top four best-selling games, led by Feb. 8’s clash with the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets.

The New York Knicks come in as TicketIQ’s third-most-popular team at a $323 average ticket listing price. Knicks games at Madison Square Garden occupy five spots in StubHub’s top 10 most in-demand, more than any other team’s.

New York’s Nov. 24 contest against the Miami Heat ranks eighth on StubHub’s list — and stands as the only NBA In-Season to make it. StubHub credits a nearly 60% year-over-year increase in NBA sales to the new format and the second year of NBA Rivals Week.

Lakers at Suns (Nov. 10), Celtics at Raptors (Nov. 17), Warriors at Thunder (Nov. 3), and Nets at Celtics (Nov. 10) round out the top five most in-demand In-Season Tournament games. 

Of course, an article about NBA hype would only be complete with a mention of Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

Ticket IQ reports that the Spurs made its top 10 most expensive teams list for the first time since the 2018-19 season, checking in at sixth with a $261 average listing price; that’s up 66% since last year — the largest jump for any team in the league.