As supply chains and other natural economic factors have reacted to consumer spending, inflation has been a hot topic across the world. The NBA world has not been immune.
With the playoffs well underway, we’ve seen specific storylines drive ticket prices to record highs.
The Kings, for example, are one of the NBA’s feel-good stories of the year. This season saw the franchise end a 16-year playoff drought, the head coaching return of the charismatic Mike Brown and the city of Sacramento literally light up the sky after victories.
After jumping out to a quick 2-0 series lead over the Warriors, the Kings are now tied with the defending champions in the opening round. The result? Some of the most expensive tickets for an NBA Playoff game ever.
MORE: The Origins of Kings' "Light the beam" chant, celebration & team rallying cry
Why the Knicks and Kings have the NBA's most expensive tickets
The average price to enter Game 1 of the series between the Kings and Warriors series was $668, or 603 percent higher than the average Kings regular season home game. The price made that game the most expensive NBA Playoff ticket ever, excluding tickets to the NBA Finals.
This Sacramento crowd is already full and lit up more than 20 minutes before tip. Here they are welcoming the Kings out of the tunnel. pic.twitter.com/VriCktRqpm
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 16, 2023
As the Kings return to Sacramento's Golden 1 Center for Game 5, tickets are quickly mirroring prices from Game 1. And if Game 7 is necessary, we can expect prices to climb even higher.
This ticket boom isn’t limited to the West Coast, either. The Knicks saw ticket prices jump 20-50 percent higher after their Game 1 win on the road.
The Knicks Game 1 win resulted in a significant increase in ticket prices for Knicks home games.
— KnicksMuse (@KnicksMuse) April 17, 2023
Game 3 now has an average price of $1,438.
(via @Ticket_IQ) pic.twitter.com/EljjqTFEjU
It’s unclear what the surge in pricing will look like if the Knicks lose Game 5 in Cleveland, as Game 6 at Madison Square Garden would be an opportunity for the Knicks to clinch in front of their home fans.
Put in the work at home 👏 pic.twitter.com/vajoMtBxVb
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 23, 2023
Their drought may not be as bad as the aforementioned Kings, but the Knicks are looking to advance to the second round of the playoffs for just the second time in the last 22 years.
So what does this all mean? Is interest in NBA attendance at an all-time high? There were, in fact, a record number of sellouts this season.
Are fans willing to shell out more when their teams are relevant? Fans of the Kings and Knicks seem to confirm that theory.
What we learned from March Madness
There's a theory that basketball fans are willing to spend money to see the best competition possible. In this year’s iteration of March Madness, the Women’s NCAA Tournament had higher Final Four prices than the Men’s Final Four for the first time in NCAA Tournament history.
An explanation may be that fans want to see close games featuring rivals. The Men’s NCAA Tournament did have its fair share of buzzer-beaters and thrilling finishes, but the National Champion Connecticut Huskies won every tournament game by double-digits.
Meanwhile, the women had spectacular storylines with Iowa star Caitlin Clark reaching milestone after milestone. It also helped that there was a healthy amount of trash talk and moxie from Clark’s opposition, namely LSU's Angel Reese in the National Championship game.
MORE: Angel Reese mocks Caitlin Clark with 'You Can't See Me' taunt
When you factor in trash talk, milestones and memorable moments, it's clear: the NBA has all of the above.
Should the Knicks or Kings end up making a deep playoff run, expect ticket prices to go even higher. And though prices might rise and stretch out some wallets, watching a classic playoff game unfold is a unique experience.
Quite frankly, the experience is worth any inflated costs.
