Boston’s superstar duo Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are supposed to be preparing for Friday’s series opener of the NBA finals, but even they had to take a moment to laugh at the extraordinary prices fans are forking out for tickets.
The best of seven NBA finals series between the Celtics and Warriors kick off on Friday morning (AEST), with the opening two games to be played at the Chase Center in San Francisco before the series moves to Boston for the next two games.
But like all must-view sporting events, single ticket prices are soaring through the roof ahead of game one.
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The least expensive tickets for game one, which can be purchased through the Warriors’ authorised ticketing partner Ticketmaster, are currently listed at $850 (AUD) before a $140 service fee per ticket at final checkout is applied.
Those seats are as far back as possible, and on angles not central to the court.
Lower-bowl seats closer to the action currently range between $1,500 and $6,000, while courtside seats are no less than $60,000, on Ticketmaster.
While news of the extraordinary prices has left fans and pundits stunned, it hasn’t been missed by the players either, with Brown and Tatum making light of the issue.
Tatum, who just won the Eastern Conference finals MVP award for his efforts in defeating Miami to reach the decider, shared a clip on Snapchat laughing at the prices, with the caption: “$1000 a ticket [laughing emoji], support from the crib.”
In that same video, a smiling Brown is heard urging those close to him not to ask him for tickets.
“$1,000 (USD) for each ticket,” Brown said. “Don’t call me, watch it for free on the TV.”
Meanwhile, current ticket sales on the resale market suggest the average price for either one of the Warriors’ two opening games will be in the ball park of $2,500.
And if you’re wondering why ticket prices are so crazy, especially in San Francisco, unlike a lot of professional sporting organisations, Golden State owns and operates the Chase Center, giving them the flexibility to set prices as they wish.
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