Sixers attendance drops this season as team tanks
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The Sixers' Adem Bona dunks against the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. Photo: Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images
The Sixers' ultra-loyal fan base is starting to check out.
Why it matters: The Sixers (24-56) will miss the playoffs this year for the first time in eight seasons as star players deal with injuries, secondary market ticket prices tank and attendance drops.
The big picture: Fans were initially excited about the team's prospects. The Sixers added Paul George to the fold, thinking he'd help stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey make a run at an NBA championship.
- But their season was quickly derailed by injuries to Embiid, George and point guard Jared McCain, who looked like he'd be in contention for the league's Rookie of the Year.
- As the Sixers kept losing, George was shut down for the season. Embiid, who played in only 19 games this season, is having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee — his second procedure on the same knee in the last 14 months.
Meanwhile, thousands fewer fans have attended games this year compared with last season, per ESPN data as of Thursday.
- The 76ers are currently ranked No. 7 in attendance, four spots down from last season.
- It's a notable drop considering attendance figures had remained relatively strong since the 2017-18 season, in part because the team's regular-season success kept fans hopeful they were close to winning a championship.
State of play: Hope is dwindling that the Sixers will turn it around next season. Philly is "pot committed" to their current roster because of huge contracts with core stars, leaving them little wiggle room in offseason free agency.
- Few teams are likely interested in acquiring Embiid in a trade because of the uncertainty around his knee.
What they're saying: "Once it's gone, it's gone," Jon Marks, host of the "Philly Philly with Jon Marks" sports podcast on AllCity Network, tells Axios about the loyalty.
- "Once people stop believing, they stop believing."
Flashback: In the 2023-24 season, the Sixers were one of 10 NBA teams to sell out every one of their home games. They've made the playoffs in 15 of the last 25 seasons, finishing with a winning regular-season record 12 times.
- They were No. 1 in attendance in 2019 and have remained in the top 10 in league attendance since the 2017-18 season — a stretch that coincided with the Sixers making the playoffs every season but the current one.
Between the lines: That prolonged success — and a large, reliable base of season ticket holders — had insulated the Sixers from seeing huge attendance drop-offs when they had one-off bad years.
- Some fans took advantage of cheap tix this year while holding their noses at the team's on-court performance.
- "You take the kids," Marks says. "What do they know?"
But some season ticket holders, like Tracey Ulrich-Matalon, paid the price, and now they'll have to decide whether to renew next season.
- She told Axios she's giving the team another shot, in part because she enjoyed watching the team's younger players get a chance to play with the stars sidelined.
"They totally entertained me," she said. "It's a very fun team overall, regardless of whether they're winning or losing."
Yes, but: Not all fans feel the same way.
- "In Philly, you really have to win. There's no, 'Hey, we love sports, we're going to go regardless,'" Marks says. "Next year will be the year 76ers fan decides, 'No, hell with this. I'm out.'"
What's next: The Sixers host the Hawks tonight at 7 before closing out the season against the Bulls on Sunday.