The individual star power of the NBA is unrivaled in American sports. Sure, the NFL has its marquee QBs, and MLB its ace pitchers and sluggers, but no organization has one player known by their first name or singular nickname. LeBron, Steph, Giannis, Luka, KD, Joker – the list goes on. 

It’s why NBA betting has become one of the fastest-growing aspects of sports betting, especially from home on sports betting apps.

But to see these NBA stars in person? At an NBA arena? That isn’t cheap. 

Attending NBA games isn’t cheap and it isn’t getting any cheaper. Going to see the aforementioned stars is even costlier due to Tier Pricing, which puts far more cost on tickets when those teams come to town. 

Still, in general, a family of four can get to an NBA game at a fraction of the cost of going to an NFL game. 

Bookies.com has calculated the cost of attending NBA games at each arena for the 2023-24 season. On average, families will spend $304.64 on four of the cheapest available tickets, a parking spot, two beers, two sodas, and four hot dogs at an NBA arena this winter. 

Cost Of Attending An NBA Game In 2023

The cost indicates a modest increase of $16.26 for an NBA game or 5.3%. The NFL, in comparison, is a hefty $646.88 for a family of four, an increase of 17% from the year prior. The cost between the priciest market and the cheapest, however, can be dramatic. 

Nowhere is more expensive than the team that plays in the world’s most famous arena. The New York Knicks supplanted the Golden State Warriors as the most-expensive night in the NBA for 2023-24. For upper-deck seats at Madison Square Garden, parking, a couple of beers and sodas and four hot dogs, a family of four can expect to spend $745.18. 

That is an epic increase for a team that hasn’t been to the postseason twice in the past decade. 

The Warriors, who last year cost a league-high $690.39, saw their cost dip to $608.39, an impressive 13.5% decrease. Golden State still ranked a very solid No. 2, over $70 more than the No. 3 team, the Boston Celtics ($536.69). 

The Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers showed an even larger decline in fan costs for the coming season. 

Three teams have increased costs higher than the Knicks. Fans of the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Sacramento Kings will feel it more. 

Meanwhile, four tickets and all the amenities to Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, and Utah Jazz games cost less than a single docket to see the Knicks. 

Cheapest Available NBA Ticket

Tickets, make up the vast majority of the cost of attending an NBA game. Getting tickets to some games is very easy, for others it’s far more difficult. 

We took the cheapest available tickets (4) for home games in December and January, only going through official sources and avoiding the secondary market (Ticketmaster standard tickets was the most common team partner). Those tickets were then averaged out for one cost. The tickets used for the formula were for those available as of Oct. 12, 2023. 

Finding the cheapest available ticket varies wildly depending on the opponent. Teams that charge $20 for an upper-level view when the Hornets come to town will charge well over $100 for the same cushion when it’s Lakers Night. 

Every team jacked Lakers games to unique heights. Four tickets to a Hawks game came up to $152, but when the Lakers come to town on Jan. 30, the four tickets is $640. 

RELATED: Here's How Much It Costs To Attend An NFL Game in 2023

To make this comparison a little more even, we eliminated all Lakers road games from the equation, as well as Christmas Day games. If your family of four is on a budget, forget seeing LeBron James. 

We also eliminated the one massive exception that didn’t include the Lakers. Four Portland Trail Blazers tickets averaged $104.66, one of the better bargains in the NBA – except when Damian Lillard returns to town with the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 31. The same seats go for $800 that evening. 

The Knicks had, by far, the most expensive available tickets. Tickets for four people to an average night in the upper deck at Madison Square Garden cost $619.10. That’s $141 more than games at Golden State, which last year ranked No. 1 in ticket costs. Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers seats also averaged over $400 for a family of four. 

By contrast, Charlotte Hornets tickets can be had for just over $22 a pop, the biggest bargain in the league. Blazers, Jazz, Thunder, and Pacers games averaged under $26 as well. 

NBA Parking Lot

Unlike most NFL and MLB stadiums, many NBA arenas don’t have official parking lots or ramps. But most are located in downtown of a major city, offering several available locations to park. Or, in some cases, almost none at all. 

That’s the issue in Brooklyn, where Nets games averaged over $66 for a walkable distance (roughly 7 minutes) to the arena. That was by far the priciest parking in the NBA, though it’s over $40 as well in Boston, Golden State (San Francisco), New York, and, perhaps surprisingly, Oklahoma City. 

Options are far cheaper in New Orleans and Dallas, where the average cost is $10 or less. The league average is about $25. 

Beer/Soda Costs Vary Widely

We took beer prices and converted them all to 16-ounce size. After doing so, one can really see a dramatic difference in cost, depending on your venue. 

Beers are approaching a massive $20 a pop at Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors games, by far the most expensive suds in the NBA. A beer in Denver, New York, and nearby Brooklyn round out the top five, all of which cost north of $15. 

Meanwhile, the same beverage runs you about $6.75 in Oklahoma City, the lowest mark in the league. You can get a beer for $7.50 or lower in Cleveland, Atlanta, and Detroit, as well. 

Soda has its own volatility in prices, but less so than the Over-21 options. Charlotte has the cheapest pops in the land, but eight out of the 30 teams sell the family-friendly beverage for $5 or less. It’s over $8 in Miami, Boston and New York. 

Hot Dogs Slightly Cheaper

Hot dog prices dropped slightly at some locations, including never-cheap Los Angeles. Whereas four dogs would set one back $27 in 2021-22, it’ll be just $21 for this season. 

Nobody dropped far enough to challenge the San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks from having the lowest-priced hot dog in the NBA, at $3 or less. 

The same concession item costs three times as much in New York at Knicks games, and nearly as much at Golden State. 

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