Getty Toronto Raptors fan and rapper Drake
Hip-hop artist Drake is a known Toronto Raptors fan and one who holds courtside tickets, ensuring that he misses very few opportunities to see the team live. Not surprisingly, it costs a pretty penny to get season tickets right on the floor, but if you want to sit near Drake during the NBA Finals, it’s going to be outrageously expensive.
According to Robert MacLeod The Globe and Mail, the retail price of a courtside ticket during the regular season for the Raptors is around $1,200 per game. There are 41 home games, which means Drake pays roughly $49,200 before the playoffs even get underway. To include the postseason, it’s surely far more than that, but the cost of sitting courtside while the Raptors face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals is eye-opening.
Raptors’ Courtside Tickets for NBA Finals Skyrocket
When the Raptors were set to face the Warriors in Game 1 of the championship, it became nearly impossible for many fans to even consider buying tickets anywhere near Drake. According to Alexander Cole of Hot New Hip Hop, some fans were selling their courtside seats for as much as $60,000, although courtside bundles originally came with a price of around $9,000.
As of right now, the cheapest tickets cost just over $500 and yesterday, we reported that the average ticket was being sold for $5000. If you want to sit courtside though, that’s when you’ll really be breaking the bank. On StubHub, you can only cop two tickets or more at a time, with the cheapest courtside bundles starting at around $9000. Some people are selling their seats for as much as $60,000.
It’s apparent that some fans who typically have an up-close view of the action are willing to part with their tickets and a chance to see Raptors history, but it comes with a massive price tag. Whether or not there were many parties interested in forking over anything close to that type of money for the tickets is the big question.
Warriors vs. Raptors NBA Finals Game 2 Ticket Prices
StubHub already has the prices for Game 2 action up, and the least-expensive ticket currently sits at $667.85/each, which is for the upper-level baseline. If you’re trying to move down to the first level, it’s going to be at least $1,280 at this time, and if the Raptors win, there’s a chance that number could jump even higher.
Going one big step forward from that, the courtside tickets for Game 2 are even more than the estimated amount from the opening matchup. StubHub currently has those tickets listed starting anywhere from north of $10,400 to more than $13,000 each.
For what it’s worth, Raptors fans who want to be around the arena but aren’t interested in paying nearly $700 per ticket (at least), can always hang out in Jurassic Park and watch the game. The area outside of Scotiabank Arena has become a popular option for many fans, and Drake was even in attendance during one of the team’s road games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
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