LeBron James has yet to play a minute for the Philadelphia 76ers, but his arrival has already transformed the franchise’s ticket market.
The Oct. 16 preseason game between the 76ers and Boston Celtics in Philadelphia is now StubHub’s No. 1-selling NBA preseason game. It reached the top spot only nine days after tickets went on sale, according to exclusive data provided to Heavy Sports.
Demand during the first week was approximately 15 times higher than for the comparable 2025 home preseason game, representing an increase of roughly 1,454%.
Every one of StubHub’s three fastest-selling NBA preseason games this year now features Philadelphia, offering an early measure of the excitement surrounding James and a remade roster built to pursue a championship.
LeBron James Transforms 76ers Ticket Market
Getty LeBron James has immediately transformed the Philadelphia 76ers games into must-see TV and the hottest tickets in the NBA.
The surge began almost immediately after James signed with the 76ers.
StubHub previously recorded a nearly 200-fold increase in Philadelphia ticket demand and a roughly 470-fold jump in team searches following the announcement.
“While every blockbuster move is unique, it’s rare to see demand accelerate this quickly before the regular-season schedule is even announced,” Jill Gonzalez, StubHub’s head of consumer, product and technology communications, told Heavy Sports.
The Oct. 16 event page has received more than five times the traffic of any 76ers preseason game in 2025. Philadelphia home games account for nearly 23% of all NBA preseason demand on StubHub this year, compared with only 3% during the entire 2025 preseason.
The buyers are not merely traveling James fans. Most ticket purchases for the Celtics game have come from Pennsylvania, suggesting that the first rush is being driven by an energized local fan base.
Repeat and reactivated customers represent approximately 62% to 64% of buyers for Philadelphia’s announced preseason games. That figure ranged from 45% to 55% last year.
The intrigue goes well beyond James. Philadelphia’s projected core includes Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe, giving the 76ers one of the NBA’s most star-heavy rosters.
James’ participation in any particular preseason game is not guaranteed, but fans are moving quickly for the opportunity to see his first appearance in a Philadelphia uniform.
Philadelphia Feels Familiar LeBron Effect
Getty LeBron James’ decision to bring his talents to the City of Brotherly Love has energized the Philadelphia 76ers’ fan base.
The full regular-season schedule will bring another surge as fans circle rivalry games, marquee opponents and favorable dates. Prices will rise and fall with the calendar, but the larger trend is already unmistakable: James has changed the way Philadelphia views even the preseason.
That has happened everywhere he has gone. When James returned to Cleveland in 2014, the Cavaliers’ share of NBA tickets sold on StubHub more than quadrupled in one season. By 2017-18, it had climbed to roughly 15 times its pre-return level. After he left, that share fell by more than half.
Philadelphia is beginning to feel the same gravitational pull. James has not worn a 76ers uniform in a game, yet an October exhibition has become the country’s hottest preseason ticket. Searches have exploded. Familiar buyers have returned. Pennsylvania fans are spending as if the championship chase has already begun.
The real games remain months away, and no ticket can guarantee James will deliver another parade. But his first measurable impact on Philadelphia has already arrived.
He has made the preseason feel like opening night and turned anticipation into an event of its own.
LeBron James Sparks Massive 76ers Ticket Surge, StubHub Says: Exclusive