LeBron James turns Sixers preseason into hottest ticket
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Welcome to a new expensive era in Sixers basketball, too. Photo: Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
Sixers fans will have to pay a King's ransom to watch LeBron James play in Philly this season.
Why it matters: The LeJawn era is supercharging ticket prices, likely pricing out some Philadelphians eager to watch the King hold court at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Driving the news: Since James announced last week that he's joining forces with Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid, ticket prices on the resale market have surged for the Sixers' preseason game against Boston on Oct. 16.
- To quote Allen Iverson, we're talking about preseason, man. But for fans hoping to catch James' first game in a Sixers uniform, that distinction hardly matters.
- SeatGeek says that James has turned the Sixers-Celtics matchup into one of the hottest NBA preseason tickets ever, with resale seats going for more than $500.
- That's roughly five times what comparable resale tickets were selling for before James announced his signing.
Stunning stat: StubHub says Sixers ticket demand surged nearly 200x and team searches jumped roughly 470x within hours of his announcement.
Meanwhile, the Sixers website says it all: Season tickets are now "in high demand."
What they're saying: Longtime season ticket holder Tracey Ulrich-Matalon tells Axios she luckily had locked in her near-courtside tickets well before James made his "last decision."
- But some of her friends weren't as lucky. They're now scrambling to land partial- and full-season packages — and they're paying huge premiums.
- "Now they're all calling me, 'Do you have games you're not going to?' she says.
Zoom in: Ulrich-Matalon says the Sixers typically notify season ticket holders first about major ticket developments, but she hasn't heard how surging demand may affect pricing going forward.
The other side: The Sixers didn't immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
The bottom line: James' farewell tour is going to be one expensive goodbye.