Donovan McNabb and the State of Football
As LeBron James closes in on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time career scoring record, ticket holders for several of the Los Angeles Lakers’ upcoming games are looking to cash in on the increased demand to see the record broken in person.
Per data provided to Front Office Sports from Vivid Seats, tickets to the Lakers’ home game on Feb. 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder — the first game where James is projected to eclipse the 38,387-point plateau — are selling for $952 on average.
At the beginning of the season, those tickets were averaging $235 on the secondary ticket platform — marking an astounding 305% increase.
If the 38-year-old does not break the record in that contest, his next opportunity to do so will be at home on Feb. 9 against the Milwaukee Bucks — the only other team besides the Lakers that Abdul-Jabbar ever played for in his NBA career.
Due to the star factor surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo and the perennially contending Bucks, those tickets were selling for $474 on average at the beginning of the season. With James chasing the record, that average is up to $1,294 — a 173% increase.
But for any fans in New Orleans betting that James will break the record even faster, they can get a “value” by buying tickets to the Lakers’ away game against the Pelicans on Feb. 4: Those tickets are averaging $277 price tags — only an 18% increase from the beginning of the season ($235).
After he inevitably passes Abdul-Jabbar — doing so in over 100 fewer games played — James will likely set his sights on a new career goal: playing in the NBA with his son.
“I need to be on the floor with my boy, I got to be on the floor with Bronny,” James recently reiterated in an interview with ESPN.
The younger James won’t be eligible to play in the league until the 2024-25 season. He is already making a fine career for himself. The high school senior inked an NIL deal with Beats by Dre in October and carries a $7.5 million NIL valuation — the most of any scholastic athlete in the country, high school, or college.
