This is what Chalamet money looks like.
When the Knicks host the Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Monday, it will be the most expensive game in NBA Finals history — and very nearly sports history.
The cheapest ticket for the game, according to Seat Geek, is $9,006 and that’s for the upper bowl.
While courtside seats are not offered on ticket platforms, folks looking for one can place a bid on the NBA website. The highest bidder at time of publish has offered $500,000.
The tickets aren’t comparable to anything else in NBA Finals history, with tickets in Dallas for the 2024 finals being the second highest with an average of $1,965, per SeatGeek.
The MSG average right now for tickets sold stands at $7,149 — and that number just keeps rising.
In sports history, only Super Bowl 2024 between the Chiefs and 49ers surpasses the Knicks tickets with an average cost of $10,497, per SeatGeek.
Games 1, 2, and 6 at MSG all rank among the top eight in all-time average ticket price.
The Knicks fans’ obsession for the franchise’s first championship in 53 years has been clear throughout this playoff run.
The Knicks haven’t made it to the NBA Finals in 27 years, meaning at least 25% of the population of New York City wasn’t yet born, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And they haven’t won a title since 1973.
Ticket prices surged from their $3,900 starting point Monday, per Front Office Sports, to over the $10,000 minimum after the Knicks took Game 1.
New Yorkers are starting to taste a championship and want a piece of it.
Another reason for the absurd prices is the clout they carry, according to the The Wall Street Journal.
This has created a scramble effect on Wall Street, in Big Law, in real estate and among celebrities to just pay $10,000 or more.
“If you’re not there, you’re a loser,” Jaclyn Sienna India, founder of concierge agency Sienna Charles, told the Wall Street Journal.
India’s team has already spent as much as a staggering $176,000 for a single ticket, she said.
President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will both attend Game 3 of the series.
Other celebrities like Timothée Chalamet, Kylie Jenner, Spike Lee, Ben Stiller and Tracy Morgan could also make their usual courtside appearances.
While the prices have skyrocketed, the views remain the same from the regular season.
The aforementioned $10,000 seats have the following view.
Others won’t be as lucky, with many of the seats in the back rows of the 200 level considered obstructed-view tickets.
The Chase Bridge completely blocks the view of the center-court scoreboard.
If the series goes past four games, Knicks fans dying to watch an NBA Finals game in person would spend less on flying to San Antonio for the weekend to see Game 5: tickets on SeatGeek for Frost Bank Center start at $1,711, with round-trip flights under $600.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
