The Celtics are set to retire Paul Pierce’s jersey. (Photo via the SportsQuotient)
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When you think back on the Boston Celtics of the first decade of the 2000s, there is no way to separate the team from Paul Pierce, who spent 15 years with the team. As the tenth overall pick in the 1998 draft, Pierce was an immediate starter and laid the foundation for the Celtics’ 2008 championship – the first one the franchise had won in more than 20 years.
There’s plenty of interest in attending Pierce’s jersey retirement ceremony, which will take place after today’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at TD Garden. According to TicketIQ.com, the current average asking price on the secondary market is $1,092, making it the second-most expensive ticket around the NBA this season and the most expensive game at TD Garden since the 2010 NBA finals.
At an $1,477 average price, Kobe Bryant’s double jersey retirement game at Staples Center on December 18th is the only game higher than Sunday’s this season. Apart from these two retirement games, the highest-priced ticket for the season was for the Golden State Warriors-Cavaliers game on Christmas Day, which cost an average of $818.
For Celtics fans trying to put it into context, it’s a 609% premium compared to the East-leading Celtics season average secondary price of $154. It’s also over 300% higher than the last Cavaliers visit to TD Garden in January.
While these prices are astronomical, they could return if the Celtics continue their dominance and make it back to the NBA finals for the first time since Paul Pierce retired. As the Celtics franchise leader in 3-point field goals, steals, and free throws, Pierce left some very big shoes to fill. At 39-16, the 2018 version of the team seems very comfortable amidst championship expectations, and if the Celtics can continue their dominance run in the east, ticket prices for the NBA finals could be amongst the highest in recent years.
Some more stats and backstory surrounding the game are available on The TicketIQ blog.
