This season's NBA All-Star game is making a bigger splash in the ticket price pool than expected.
Last season there was a crowd of close to 109,000 fans at the spacious Cowboys Stadium. This year's venue will be a bit smaller, as there are 19,000 seats available at the Staples Center in L.A., as reported by SeatGeek.com.
Tickets are reaching sky-high prices because of the popularity of players scheduled to play in the game. The list of players include Celtics' superstars Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo who will be playing under Doc Rivers on the Eastern Conference squad. Miami's LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh are also on tap to represent the East, while Lakers' guard Kobe Bryant and Clippers power forward Blake Griffin highlight the Western Conference reps.
According to SeatGeek.com, tickets for the actual game across the top secondary markets and dozens of brokers are currently averaging $1,315 compared to last year's average price of $255. Up in the nosebleeds section, tickets are $705. To get a fourth row, center court view, a fan would need to pony up $11,504.
Ticket prices for the festivities starting on Saturday night – which includes the 3-point and Slam Dunk contests – are averaging $750 per ticket.
In comparison, the 2011 NFL Pro Bowl had an average secondary ticket price of about $175 per ticket.
Click on this link to see the price comparison on SeatGeek.com.
