Knicks Star Calls Out ‘Crazy’ Ticket Prices For NBA Finals. See How Much Fans Spent.

Before Game 3 of the NBA Finals tips off Monday night in Madison Square Garden, players and fans alike can’t help but notice the glaring charge of tickets.

After the New York Knicks took a commanding 2-0 series lead over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, ticket costs skyrocketed with the Knicks’ return to MSG as the team looks at a potential sweep for their first championship in 53 years. The cheapest get-in price on secondary and primary ticket marketplaces is currently floating around $5,000 on SeatGeek and Ticketmaster, while some courtside seats have gone for over $100,000. 

Knicks guard Josh Hart called out the high prices after his team’s open practice on Sunday. 

“I kind of wish the ticket prices weren’t as crazy that they are,” he said. “I feel like a lot of people who [have] been waiting for this moment for a very long time unfortunately aren’t able to get into the building, when the cheapest ticket is $7,000 [or] $8,000.”

The cheapest tickets for Game 4, the potential championship-clincher for the Knicks depending on the result of Game 3, are already set at $9,280 on SeatGeek. If the Knicks take a 3-0 lead Monday night, the price to enter Madison Square Garden could exceed $10,000.

A combination of ending one of the NBA’s longest championship droughts, loyalty of the fans, and attendance of a handful of celebrities, along with President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, is to blame for the high prices. 

Along with Hart, New York native and Knicks guard Jose Alvarado admitted he won’t be providing tickets for his friends after he already secured seats for his wife, children, brother, and parents.

“I see it’s $11,000 [each], I say no,” Alvarado told reporters when referring to getting some of his friends to the game. “It’s a lot of money … I ain’t doing that. I’ll tell you that much.”

Alvarado isn’t losing any faith in Knicks fans to still support the team, whether it’s from home, at local sports bars, or even outside the arena.

“The people that can’t afford it, we improvise,” he told Fox Sports. “We’re New Yorkers. We’re going to find a way to watch a game, and that’s what we’re doing.”