How much do NBA tickets cost? Find out how much it costs to watch a basketball game

How much do NBA tickets cost? Find out how much it costs to watch a basketball game

Ciku Njuguna
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:28 PM

Basketball games are exciting and fun to watch and play. Like many of the world's most popular sports, the National Basketball Association match passes are incredibly expensive and hard to come by. Scroll down and find out just how much NBA tickets cost.

How much does it cost to sit on the floor at a basketball game?
Miami Heat fan Frank Barballo supports his favourite team by holding up a game entry pass before Game 4 in June 2006 in Miami, Florida. Photo by Carlo Allegri.
Source: Getty Images

Are NBA games fun to attend? Any National Basketball Association game's energy and electric atmosphere make attending any match an incomparable experience. In addition, being in the same arena with global superstars and the possibility of meeting them also make it a must-attend.

Are NBA tickets expensive?

Generally, the cost of entry passes to basketball games varies greatly depending on the teams playing. Since each team sets its prices for primary entry passes, some may be more costly than others. Resell prices are set by individual brokers, group purchasers, season pass holders, and individual purchasers.

Prices often vary depending on the opponent, day of the week, seating section, row, and seat position. Services and products such as parking, merchandise, concessions, and souvenirs also play a role in the cost of attending a match to fans. Additionally, the number of matches left in a season, venue location, and whether the game is a preseason, regular season, or playoff match determine the variation of fees.

Can you buy tickets for NBA playoffs?
A fan holds her ticket to a preseason game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Washington Wizards at the Barclays Center in October 2012 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Photo by Elsa.
Source: Getty Images

Where are NBA tickets sold?

According to the official NBAtickets website, Ticketsmaster is the only official ticketing partner offering a transactional medium between individual teams and fans. However, only twenty-four out of 30 National Basketball Association teams use the site for sales. Other secondary providers include TicketIQ and Vivid Seats.

Which NBA teams have the most expensive tickets?

For the 2022/23 season, the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks had the most expensive regular passes. Here is a summary of the average price list for each team.

Golden State Warriors

$611

Los Angeles Lakers

$518

New York Knicks

$346

Boston Celtics

$303

Phoenix Suns

$285

How much do Lakers NBA tickets cost? One of the most expensive matches to watch for the Lakers was held on October 18, 2022. The Los Angeles Lakers - Golden State Warriors showdown at Chase Center cost a whopping $34,055.

What is the NBA ticket price for the Warriors? The Golden State Warriors are among the greatest NBA teams of all time. When the team took on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on December 20, the most expensive pass in the house cost fans about $19,892.

What NBA team has the cheapest tickets?

Ticketsmaster rates the least expensive teams to watch with the lowest average pass prices. These include the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans. Here is a summary of teams with the lowest average pass prices.

How much are Warriors playoff tickets?
Chris Paul of the LA Clippers attempts to shoot against Lopez of the Brooklyn Nets in November 2012 at the Barclays Center in the Brooklyn Borough of New York City. Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE.
Source: Getty Images

Minnesota Timberwolves

$91

Detroit Pistons

$102

Cleveland Cavaliers

$105

Orlando Magic

$105

Memphis Grizzlies

$107

Sacramento Kings

$126

Portland Trail Blazers

$127

Washington Wizards

$130

Indiana Pacers

$141

New Orleans Pelicans

$144

How much do NBA tickets cost in 2023?

How much do NBA tickets cost right now? Admission passes for matches across the league usually cost between $85 and $95. More expensive contests cost between $400 and $27,000 for fans who want VIP service or meet-and-greet passes.

What are the most expensive NBA seats?
A fan has his pass scanned before a match between the Nuggets and the Spurs during the Playoffs in April 2019 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. Photos by Mark Sobhani.
Source: Getty Images

How much do NBA tickets cost in the regular season?

On average, a regular season pass will cost fans $94. For fans, this price tends to go up when parking and concessions are considered.

How much do NBA playoff tickets cost?

Annually, top-tier basketball teams from each Conference gather to crown the league champion. Cheaper first-round passes sell for around $130, with second-round passes for around $190. Before the Finals, the Conference Finals reach an average price of between $275 and $300.

How much do NBA Finals tickets cost?

On Ticketsmaster, primary match passes range between $900 and $1000. The 2022 Playoff Finals did not come cheap for fans who had to fork between $600 and $24,000. Here is a summary of known average prices for the upcoming 2023 Game 1 Playoff matches.

How much are tickets to NBA playoffs?
Fans arrive to purchase passes for the contest between the Brooklyn Nets and the LA Clippers at the Barclays Center in November 2012 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Photo by Bruce Bennett.
Source: Getty Images

Teams

Arena

Date

Price

Philadelphia 76ers vs TBD

Wells Fargo Center

1 June 2023

From $1,500

Brooklyn Nets vs TBD

Barclays Center - Brooklyn, NY

1 June 2023

From $1,100

Miami Heat vs TBD

Miami-Dade Arena

1 June 2023

From $860

Denver Nuggets vs TBD

Ball arena

1 June 2023

From $990

Phoenix Suns vs TBD

Footprint Centre

1 June 2023

From 880

Cleveland Cavaliers vs TBD

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

1 June 2023

From $830

Toronto Raptors vs TBD

Scotiabank Arena

1 June 2023

From $890

Memphis Grizzlies vs TBD

FedExForum

1 June 2023

From $990

New York Knicks vs TBD

Madison Square Garden

1 June 2023

From $3,000

Golden State Warriors vs TBD

Chase Center

1 June 2023

From $820

Boston Celtics vs TBD

TD Garden

1 June 2023

From $1,000

How much do NBA All-Star tickets cost?

The National Basketball Association All-Star is an annual event held in February during the regular season. The weekend event that starts on a Friday consists of different basketball exhibitions. Primary event passes cost between $400 and $10,000, depending on seat preferences and additional privileges such as VIP meet and greet opportunities.

How much do NBA Finals floor seats cost?

The average courtside pass for a National Basketball Association game costs between $300 and $50,000. However, fans have to fork out exorbitant prices during the Finals, such as 2022's Vivid Seats admission passes for Game 7 in San Francisco, which went for a little over $116,000.

Can you buy NBA tickets directly?
Rapper Drake smiles as he sits courtside during a game between the Toronto Raptors and the Brooklyn Nets at Scotiabank Arena in November 2022 in Toronto, Canada. Photo by Cole Burston.
Source: Getty Images

How much do courtside NBA tickets cost?

On average, front-row seats cost around $1,500 during the regular season. Some of the cheapest teams to watch courtside include the Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs, and Indiana Pacers.

A lot of speculation surrounds how much NBA tickets cost. However, knowing the right time to purchase a ticket and where to buy one will reduce costs significantly for fans.

READ ALSO: How much is a Premier League ticket? Find out what it costs on average to watch an EPL game live

Recently, Sports Brief published an article detailing the costs of purchasing football match tickets for any team in the EPL. The report also covers trustworthy sites where fans can get their hands on entry passes for their favourite teams.

Click on the link above to discover the cost, when and where to find a Premier League ticket cost in 2023.

Authors
Ciku Njuguna photo
Ciku Njuguna
Ciku Njuguna is a journalist with 3 year’s experience in content creation based in Kenya. She currently covers sports personnel as well as team biographies.