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NBA Finals tickets surge to $100,000 on resale market

6/2/2026

32 7 Full Breakdown

Summary

Resellers Profit Big

Resale prices for 2026 NBA Finals tickets have risen to $100,000.
Madison Square Garden Game 3 tickets average $6,700 (high $7,341) and TickPick lists them at $4,115, 336% above San Antonio Game 1’s $944 price.
Season-ticket holder Peter Gelman could sell his two Finals tickets for $6,500 each.
Thomas Kazi bought four Game 4 seats for $2,200 each and resold two for $15,000, netting $6,200 profit.

Summary

ESPN Radio Celebrates

ESPN Radio celebrates its 30-year NBA Finals run with Marc Kestecher, Doris Burke and P.J. Carlesimo as hosts.
The series uses 52 cameras—including four native 4K units and 14 super-slow-motion cameras—and will air in 1080P HDR on ABC via the RF Megalodon Canon C80 system.
Pat McAfee anchors an alternate ESPN App Game 3 broadcast from Madison Square Garden.
Allan Houston’s FISLL brand launches a five-piece high-end Finals apparel line on June 1.

History

Historical Context

The 1999 NBA Finals, where the San Antonio Spurs beat the eighth-seeded New York Knicks, aired on NBC and saw ratings drop to 11.3 after Michael Jordan’s retirement. That first appearance of an eighth seed set a tech-driven broadcast precedent. The 2026 Finals echo this legacy as ESPN’s veteran crew and soaring resale prices push the league toward stricter pricing and expanded streaming.

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Resellers Profit Big

Resale prices for 2026 NBA Finals tickets have risen to $100,000.
Madison Square Garden Game 3 tickets average $6,700 (high $7,341) and TickPick lists them at $4,115, 336% above San Antonio Game 1’s $944 price.
Season-ticket holder Peter Gelman could sell his two Finals tickets for $6,500 each.
Thomas Kazi bought four Game 4 seats for $2,200 each and resold two for $15,000, netting $6,200 profit.

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