500% costlier tickets on Luka Doncic Lakers debut didn’t stop 19,000 attendance at Crypto Arena
Newest Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic made his debut at Crypto.com Arena against the Utah Jazz tonight.
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Luka Doncic debut saw massive rise in Los Angeles Lakers ticket prices
On February 2nd, the NBA’s landscape changed when Luka Doncic was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. This move will shape the trajectory of the most famous team in the league, giving them a bonafide superstar for at least the next decade.
The Lakers have always gone after the biggest superstars of the sport. In Luka Doncic, they get a 25-year-old who is already a five-time All-NBA 1st teamer. He is also the reigning NBA scoring champion and is yet to reach his prime.
For the Lakers, this move was a no brainer, especially considering how little they had to give up. Such moves have a huge impact on the marketing ability of the team. For the past seven seasons, it has been LeBron James who has led the league lead in ticket sales, merchandise as well as viewership.
Now with the Slovenian coming in, there was a possibility that the 40-year-old would take a back seat. The cheapest prices for the home game against the Utah Jazz was going for $43 as of February 1st. Once news of the trade broke, those prices started shooting up.
After it was confirmed that Doncic was going to make his debut, prices shot through the roof. As per last prices on Tick Pick, the cheapest tickets were going for $193. That is a near 500% increase in prices just because fans wanted to see him in purple and gold threads.
Prices to tonight’s Lakers-Jazz game have gone up 500% for Luka’s debut. 😳
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 10, 2025
SHOWTIME. (Ticket prices exclusively via @tickpick) pic.twitter.com/vTwAjiBjCr
Some courtside tickets went for as high as $7000 on the resale market. With the likes of Adele, Will Ferrell, Dirk Nowitzki and other celebrities in attendance, it was natural that such tickets were going to expensive. At the end of the day, those prices did not stop the near 19000 fans from packing Crypto.com Arena.
Luka Doncic in double digits on debut
Those 19000 fans were aware that Luka Doncic was on a minutes restriction. He was still not 100% but needed to play a little to get back into shape. Doncic started the game alongside LeBron James and after jogging a bit, started to get into the flow.
The newest Los Angeles Lakers superstar opened his scoring with a step back three over the towering Walker Kessler. However, that was his last three-pointer as he missed his next six. He did score a few from the field, but most notably showed his floor awareness and IQ with a couple of blistering passes.
Lobs to Jaxson Hayes and a full court pass to his 40-year-old teammate were the highlights of the game. In addition to that, there were some other small moments which showed his court vision is unparalleled. He might need time to gel with the rest of the team, but his first moments helped those 19,000 fans enjoy his debut to the fullest.
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Joseph Varghese
(2455 Articles Published)