The Los Angeles Lakers are already seeing cheaper tickets for home games after losing LeBron James. A study was done comparing all team’s lowest “get in” price for home openers across the NBA this season. The Lakers have typically been one of the top two most expensive teams with the New York Knicks. However, this season sees them dropping behind LeBron’s new team.
Each of the top five most expensive home openers this season:
Knicks: $1,112
Boston Celtics: $160
Philadelphia 76ers: $145
San Antonio Spurs: $124
Lakers: $116
The Knicks are in a different tier since New York fans always more, and the franchise will be raising the NBA Championship banner for the first time in over five decades. Spurs fans are also paying more for the Western Conference Championship banner and an intense game vs the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Celtics and Lakers always have higher opening night prices due to their legacy standard of a passionate fan base. However, the Lakers have fallen behind the 76ers. Fans are excited to see the first game of LeBron and Jaylen Brown in Philadelphia. Outside of these five teams, every other NBA home opener has a “get in” price under $100 to make it more affordable.
Why Lakers Prices Have Fallen Without LeBron James
The appeal of LeBron adds multiple layers for why those prices has higher value. Outside of being an all-time great, James only has so many seasons left in his 30s. The Lakers still have superstar Luka Doncic to make prices high, but he has another decade and change left in the league.
Fans pay more for LeBron games since it’s a rare attraction of an iconic NBA star before he retires over the next few years. Doncic and Austin Reaves will still make the Lakers a top live NBA attraction, but other teams have stronger draws.
Victor Wembanyama is already making Spurs tickets more expensive than the Tim Duncan era when they dominated every season. The Knicks will remain the top draw since fans are ecstatic about being the class of the NBA in a market where live events are quite costly even without the context.
Lakers Fans Happy About This
One could argue the Lakers lost some value without LeBron, but this is only good for the fan base. The era of James teaming with Anthony Davis and then Luka made Lakers tickets extremely expensive as one of the hottest tickets in sports.
Lakers fans priced out of games will have a better chance now and will still get to see a future Hall of Famer. Head coach JJ Redick believes the team will win games and contend this season, so that could see prices increasing throughout the season.
Regardless, the Lakers have an exciting scenario and will have less intense following than the LeBron era. Doncic has a chance to write his own legacy for the Lakers, and fans will be on board. Even the road prices have dropped for the Lakers to see fans in other cities having a chance to see them without paying a crazy price.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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