The Los Angeles Lakers have always been a hot ticket for fans to come and see them play. Something about being able to watch stars on the court and in the seats always was a fascinating lure. It helped that the team always had players whom fans adored from the likes of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Season tickets can be expensive but when the team is playing well or there is a new star player everyone wants to see fans will always play for seat in the arena. Enter Lonzo Ball.
Before Ball became a Laker the team had about five percent remaining of season ticket sales but after Ball’s play in the Las Vegas Summer League fans hurried to get their tickets for the upcoming season. According to J.A. Adande of ESPN the Lakers have hit capacity with their season-ticket sales thanks in large part to the newest Lakers point guard:
“The Los Angeles Lakers sold out the remaining 5 percent of their season-ticket inventory this week. All gone. The Lakers had 95 percent renewal from their season-ticket holders before the draft, but now that Lonzo Ball is a Laker — and fresh off his tantalizing summer league run — they hit capacity. After a seat-viewing open house at Staples Center, fans bought up the 600 available seats. (Last year’s event yielded about 175 ticket sales).”
Ball has been in the spotlight ever since he was drafted by the Lakers in last month’s NBA Draft. It has been a while since a rookie has generated this much attention before playing a real NBA game. Although it was against inferior competition Ball put on a show in Summer League. He displayed his jaw-dropping passing skills and the ability to light up the scoreboard that was evident when he erupted for 36 points against the Philadelphia 76ers.
With Ball now in the driver’s seat the expectations for the Lakers this season are quite high. While securing a playoff berth in a loaded Western Conference is unlikely fans are expecting a vast improvement compared to seasons past. With Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle expected to have a huge seasons and the continued growth of the other young players it is understandable why the team is expected to have a strong season.
