- The Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors are led by the defining superstars of this generation, LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
- Both teams added more star power in Luka Dončić and Jimmy Butler.
- Thursday night’s game between the two at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles is the most expensive ticket in the league this season, starting at $300-350.
It’s difficult to argue against LeBron James and Stephen Curry being the players who have defined the NBA since the late Kobe Bryant. The veterans are still playing at a high level, and fans will be able to see their teams head to the postseason.
James and the Los Angeles Lakers host Curry and the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night in the “City of Angels”. The ticket for this game will be the most expensive of the season in the NBA.
Ticket Prices for Warriors-Lakers Start at $300-350
The Lakers are probably the marquee team in the NBA, and most teams will sell out their arenas when the Lake Show comes to town. Their March 7 game in Boston was the most expensive home game in the history of the Celtics, the Lakers’ longtime rivals. This trend continues for Warriors-Lakers, where you can find one ticket for TickPick for a low of $411 in the upper bowl, and courtside tickets are going for $17,500!
Ticketmaster is the cheapest ticket going right now at $300, again for the upper bowl. The cheapest ticket on Stubhub is selling for $534! Those prices are increasing rapidly as well with the game just over 12 hours away. An hour before the game, those tickets will likely be pricier, and who knows by how much.
For those prices, you could put a decent amount down on either team’s NBA championship odds and come back with some excellent value.
What Does This Mean for the NBA?
It just goes to show how much sway James and Curry still have in the NBA. James is in his 22nd NBA season at 40 years old, and Curry is in his 16th season at age 37. They’re still the players that move the needle in the league. But the Lakers and Warriors added more at the trade deadline.
The Lakers got Luka Dončić for Anthony Davis in, arguably, the biggest NBA trade ever. The Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler from Miami for Andrew Wiggins. Both teams have been great since the trades, and are in the top five in the Western Conference. It should also be noted that James and Curry are both in the running for All-NBA spots.
But it also speaks to how the NBA needs to start pushing its younger players more. James and Curry will not be around forever, and they have to start looking towards the future. The Lakers have begun already with the Doncic trade, as he’ll take over the team after James eventually retires. The Warriors are in a worse position as Butler and Draymond are both 35. But they want to extend Curry’s championship window.
The NBA has to find ways to promote its younger coming stars, such as Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Detroit’s Cade Cunningham. NBA diehards know these players, but casual fans might have trouble, and that’s where the NBA needs to improve. San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama is probably the next superstar, but he has missed the second half of the season with blood clots in his shoulder.
The NBA should still ride James and Curry as long as they can, but they have to integrate the next generation into their media plan.