Lakers vs. Mavericks became a must-watch rivalry following the shocking Luka Dončić trade in February. But the two teams are also the biggest draws at the Las Vegas Summer League this month as the debuting Cooper Flagg faces off against Bronny James.
The average purchase price for Day 1 of the Las Vegas Summer League on Thursday is $201, per data from resell ticketing platform TickPick provided to Front Office Sports. That’s the highest-priced ticket for Summer League on record.
The get-in price for a general-admission ticket is $83, while courtside seats are going for more than $2,500.
A ticket grants access to all seven Summer League games played between the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion, though the Lakers vs. Mavericks matchup is scheduled for the primetime window (8 p.m. ET tip-off).
While the exhibition game will not feature All-Stars like Dončić, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Anthony Davis, it’s expected to be the first official NBA-sanctioned game for Flagg, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft. James’s son Bronny, the No. 55 pick in last year’s draft, is expected to compete for the Lakers.
It’s no surprise that the combination of a top pick’s debut and a big-name Lakers star is driving up Summer League ticket prices. The first-ever sellout at Summer League came in 2017 when Lonzo Ball, the No. 2 pick in that year’s draft, made his Lakers debut. (Los Angeles is about a four-hour drive from Las Vegas.)
According to ESPN, general-admission tickets for that game were up to $250 on resale platforms—though TickPick’s tracking data does not go as far back as 2017.
The Summer League debut of 2023 No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama also drew a sellout crowd of 17,500 to the Thomas & Mack Center. According to TickPick, the average purchase price for the day was $161—the third highest on record.
