NBA Tip-Off: All Eyes on the Lakers, Plus Movers and Shakers
The 2024–25 NBA season—the 79th in league history—tipped off this week, and the main theme is what’s new. Storylines abound from Los Angeles, with the first ever father-son duo and a brand-new arena, to Boston, where the winningest franchise looks to repeat.
And basketball fever has been nonstop since the conclusion of last season, which culminated in a Jayson Tatum–Luka Dončić Finals, all through the Summer Olympics and an instant classic U.S.A-France gold medal game.
In this week’s ticket trend report, Front Office Sports shows you just how all that excitement has translated to tickets in a big way, based on data from TickPick, a leading North American ticket marketplace.
The Main Attractions
The cream rises to the top for the biggest draws of this NBA season. But the common denominator among the five hottest tickets is brand name—not necessarily on-court success.
According to TickPick, the Los Angeles Lakers rank as the most expensive ticket for the second year in a row with an average purchase price of $329—a 15% increase from last year ($286). A likely playoff contender in 2024–25, the Lakers are already one of the most popular franchises in professional sports. The chance to see Bronny James suit up with his father, LeBron, and new head coach JJ Redick, have unsurprisingly made Crypto.com Arena a top destination.
The Knicks have become a serious title contender after a pair of blockbuster trades for Mikal Bridges to flesh out their Villanova–laden lineup and a recent blockbuster trade for Karl-Anthony Towns. The average purchase price for Madison Square Garden this season is $327. In third place are the Warriors with an average purchase price of $290. In the first season since 2011–12 without both Splash Bros.—after Klay Thompson was traded to the Mavericks—the Chase Center is still a marquee ticket.
Even as the favorites to defend their title, the Celtics did not crack the top three: Their $237 average purchase price keeps them in fourth place for the second consecutive season. Chicago has made the postseason in one of the last seven seasons, but fans are still planning to turn out to the United Center: The Bulls make a move from sixth to fifth ($189) despite their status as a likely bottom-10 team.
The Dome and The Wall
The Clippers set up shop in Inglewood with their much-anticipated move to the $2 billion Intuit Dome. Finally free from sharing their home arena with the rival Lakers, and with the intrigue surrounding their huge dedicated fan section called The Wall, Steve Ballmer’s team has made a massive jump from 15th to sixth ($169) for average purchase price—an 82% year-over-year change, according to TickPick.
The Movers and the Shakers
A handful of NBA teams made significant jumps from a season ago for the average purchase price of a home ticket. Notably, the Wizards ($76 to $141) took a league-best 85% year-over-year leap, while a fellow potential bottom-dweller in the Pistons ($56 to $93) came in fourth (66%). The Suns, according to TickPick, were the only team to see a decrease ($98 to $96).
The Get In
The NBA just had an opening-night doubleheader for the ages, and the difference in get-in price from Boston to Minneapolis was massive. As the season gets underway, however, the gap from Los Angeles to New Orleans is even more eye-popping.
What $750 Gets You
Steal of the week
