The Most Expensive Tickets in Sports

The Most Expensive Tickets in the National Basketball Association

5. Boston Celtics
> Avg. ticket price: $99.43
> W-L past 10 years: 56.6% (5th highest)
> Championships past 10 years: 1
> Avg. home attendance: 18,624

The Celtics — with 17 NBA titles — are the winningest team in basketball history; at one point, Boston claimed eight championships in a row. Seeing them play, though, is not cheap. Buying a resale ticket to watch the Celtics costs, on average, just over $99. An average of 18,624 people attended games played in 2010-2011, yet the Boston Garden only holds 18,624. The fact that the Celtics can average a sell-out over an entire season is one of reason they are valued at $482 million, the fifth-highest figure among NBA franchises. Boston’s overall revenue did fall by $5 million between 2011 and 2012, but that drop is due mostly to 2012’s lockout-shortened 66 game season, which had eight fewer home games than the year before.

4. Chicago Bulls
> Avg. ticket price: $111.12
> W-L past 10 years: 51.9% (12th highest)
> Championships past 10 years: none
> Avg. home attendance: 22,161

The Chicago Bulls average secondary-ticket price of $111.12 ranks fourth among NBA teams. Post-Jordan, the Bulls have yet to win a title, though they have made seven playoff appearances in the past decade. In that time, their attendance increased by 13%. Despite the departure of His Airness, Bulls fans continue to pack the United Center. The team’s average attendance was 22,161 in 2010-2011, the most in the NBA. Though they have yet to emulate the success they had during legendary coach Phil Jackson’s era, they have been a solid winner over the past 10 seasons. During that span the Bulls had 417 victories — 12th out of 30 NBA franchises.

3. Miami Heat
> Avg. ticket price: $123.35
> W-L past 10 years: 53.6% (11th highest)
> Championships past 10 years: 1
> Avg. home attendance: 19,935

If you are buying a resold ticket, South Beach is the third-most expensive place in America to watch a basketball game, at a little over $123 per ticket on average. This figure is an extension of increased demand, reflected in the 30% jump in attendance at AmericanAirlines Arena in the past decade. The leap is in large part to due to the triumvirate of stars that joined forces before the 2010-2011 season. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh helped the Heat draw an average of 19,935 fans last year — fourth most in the NBA. After doling out the cash to sign the three free agents before the 2011 season, the Heat’s operating income dipped from $8 million in 2010 to -$5.9 million in 2011. But 2012 turned that around. The interest generated by the new-look Heat has put the team back in the black and operating income shot up to $26 million in 2012.

2. New York Knicks
> Avg. ticket price: $161.93
> W-L past 10 years: 40.6% (6th lowest)
> Championships past 10 years: none
> Avg. home attendance: 19,763

Madison Square Garden bills itself as the “world’s most famous arena” and the prices for Knicks games reflect that status. Attending one costs secondary buyers just short of $162 on average. The Knicks’ success, however, is difficult to attribute to success on the court. While New York has made the playoffs the past two years, they have not won a championship since the 1970s. Still, fans continue to pack the Garden — the team’s attendance has increased by 4% in the past 10 years. Part of this popularity has to do with the team’s increased star power, with recent additions of Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. This year’s team was one of the more exciting ones Madison Square Gardens has seen for a while, due in part due to the unexpected success of Jeremy Lin and “Lin-sanity.” The Knicks are also one of those teams that always will have strong backing, even during their worst performances.

1. Los Angeles Lakers
> Avg. ticket price: $169.80
> W-L past 10 years: 62.7% (3rd highest)
> Championships past 10 years: 3
> Avg. home attendance: 18,997

If you are buying away from the box office, entrance to the STAPLES Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers, is the priciest in basketball, at an average of roughly $170 per ticket. Still, Lakers fans are clearly willing and able to pay the fee for supporting their team. The Lakers drew an average of 18,997 fans in 2011-2012 — eighth most in the NBA. That figure becomes significantly more impressive in light of the STAPLES Center’s capacity of 18,997. Whether it is the nine playoff appearances and three championships in the past 10 years, or the glitz and glamor of the notable celebrities who frequent the arena, the Lakers’ pricey resales are a hot commodity. And so too, it appears, are the Lakers. The franchise’s estimated value leaped 40% from $643 million in 2011 to $900 million 2012.