StubHub announces 60% jump in ticket sales for NBA season with Lakers as most in-demand team

As the NBA is set to start this week, StubHub revealed that they’ve seen their ticket sales soar up to nearly 60% compared to last season, and placed the Los Angeles Lakers back at the top of the list as the most in-demand franchise.

According to spokesperson Adam Budelli, the company’s annual preview of the league’s projected ticket exchange is based on years of data. He later shared how encouraged they are to witness a rise in demand for this upcoming campaign which is about to start on Tuesday, October 24.

The StubHub representative explained how there’s been a surge of international interest in the league, coming from fans in 92 countries, which are 24 more than last season. Budelli predicted that these sales from abroad will represent a 120% rise, with the most popular coming from the United Kingdom, Brazil and Australia.

StubHub sees 60% jump in ticket sales for NBA season as international interest surges https://t.co/PS87c4i9lh

— CNBC (@CNBC) October 17, 2023

“It’s hard to pinpoint one specific factor, but I would say across live events as a whole, we certainly have seen cross-border travel for live events increased and rebound to a higher point than when it was pre-pandemic,” the spokesperson explained.

The surge of international stars in the NBA has also been another reason why they’ve seen such a prominent increase in sales outside the United States border. Reigning champion Nikola Jokic, the Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo and rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama are just some of the biggest names coming into the season.

Budelli then shared the example of the Knicks‘ schedule, as they are projected to host five out of the top 10 most popular games this 2023/24 campaign. Taking this into consideration, the New York fans have surpassed their sales from last season by 80%, according to their data.

Despite this, StubHub made sure to detail that these projections are subject to change, but are excited to monitor the team’s commercial development throughout the season.

“It definitely has the usual suspects on top, but as it goes, that can fluctuate and move throughout the season,” Budelli shared. “And there’s star players that break out and rookies and things like that, but it’s all there, and I think those trends speak for themselves.”

NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor slams TNT for not featuring Nikola Jokic on their opening-night poster

The Nuggets are scheduled to open this regular season against the Lakers on October 24, but their Serbian superstar was nowhere to be found in the network’s opening graphic title. Instead, the poster portrays Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who’s team isn’t even playing this Tuesday, as their game against the New York Knicks will be played the following night.

“Really strange Jokic isn’t featured on this graphic. The Celtics aren’t even playing on Tuesday!” NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor protested on social media.

TNT’s actions keep adding to the recurrent narrative that the media only showcase games with big names and not necessarily the best teams, a discourse in which the Denver squad insisted last season.

“Let’s be honest, the national narrative, was, ‘Hey, the Lakers are fine. They’re down 1-0, but they figured something out.’ No one talked about Nikola just had an historic performance (in Game 1). He’s got 13 (playoff) triple-doubles now, third all-time. What he’s doing is just incredible,” coach Michael Malone recalled.