Do NBA Players Get Free Tickets to Games? (2024)

FAQs

Do NBA Players Get Free Tickets to Games? ›

According to the NBA collective bargaining agreement, teams can give their players, coaches, and support staff up to four tickets for home games and two tickets for road games. All of the teams reserve these tickets, which means about 100 tickets for each game are not for sale.

Tickets to pro sporting events are often really expensive. NBA players do have an opportunity to help out their friends and family by giving away free tickets to games. NBA players often report that they're inundated with ticket requests from family and friends.

Private jets can be very expensive to purchase and maintain, and most NBA players do not have the financial resources to afford one. Instead, teams often charter planes or use commercial airlines to transport their players and staff to games and events.

No, NBA players do not have to pay for their own flights and hotels when they're traveling with their team.

Players must ignore their fatigue, malnourishment, and taunts from opposing crowds in the arenas (and hotel rooms), and adverse playing conditions (e.g. Denver's altitude). They have to leave their families for the majority of the year, and in the rare occasion they're home, they only see their families for a few days.

In the league's collective bargaining agreement, teams are allowed to give their players up to four tickets to every home game and two tickets to every away game. Coaches and support staff get tickets too.

Owners also provide the lodging for the players, and this means putting them in four and five-star hotels. With one of the greatest unions in the world behind them, players have ensured that even when they are on the road in a grueling schedule, they are afforded every luxury within reason.

During the regular and postseason, any road games mean players will get per diem money for food when teams don't provide meals. For the NBA, that can mean around $150 per player when away from home. Of course, the pros are expected to make good choices when going out to eat.

When a head coach takes a player's spot, the team has to pay one player the difference in cost between the first-class ticket and the other ticket. The NBA players' union gets to pick which player gets the money. On the road, players get $129 a day in cash to cover food expenses.

Do NBA players get paid weekly? ›

2022-23 monthly amount paid: $4,005,835

This figure was then divided across the 24 bi-weekly paychecks NBA players receive on the 1st and 15th of every month, which was the determining factor in the final rankings.

They'll likely still hit the weights, go for a run, or do some other kind of training. Recovery modalities like contrast therapy (the combination of heat and cold), mobility, massage, and hydrotherapy are also common for days that don't involve competitive play.

So, during training camp and preseason, you'll make $2K per week — unless you agreed to a contract which gets you at least $10K of your money sooner. During this time, the team will also pay your lodging expenses, unless you already have a house. The NBA's retirement benefits are excellent.

But in between the preseason, the regular season and the playoffs, the average baller has very little free time. And even when NBA players are free, they are pressure to spend the time improve their skills or do anything related to basketball. That said, many NBA superstars also do things not related to the game.

The NBA allows players to gather the ball before its referees begin to count that player's steps. The result is a situation like this, which appears to everybody who has ever played the game as a flagrant travel – but isn't by NBA rule. The league's long and lean players are taking advantage of this rule, of course.

All around the league, players watch themselves. “I think everybody does,” Tobias Harris says. It goes far beyond team-mandated film study; those sessions only focus on specific mistakes and recent games. No, players bring up their own highlights independently.

NBA Legend Meet & Greets

And it doesn't stop there. NBA Experiences hosts an intimate NBA Legend Dinner at most events, exclusive to specific packages.

The New York Knicks have dethroned the Los Angeles Lakers as the most in-demand National Basketball Association (NBA) team in terms of StubHub sales, the ticket platform has revealed ahead of the 2022/23 season. The Lakers have sold the most tickets on the platform for the past five seasons.

They go in there locker rooms, talk to there main coach about the game for around 20 minutes, then they get the post game interview and during the interview they ice there feet. After, the team usually goes and eats dinner together, most of them eat together or even all.

How much is a VIP ticket for NBA? ›

Admission passes for matches across the league usually cost between $85 and $95. More expensive contests cost between $400 and $27,000 for fans who want VIP service or meet-and-greet passes.

Waterboys in the NBA make around $53,000 to $58,000 annually. However, there are reports that several teams in the league pay their waterboys as much as $100,000, which sounds incredible.

So that's the stuff we're talking about. In the NBA, they have percentages of revenue shared for the players — so, jersey sales, obviously their TV contracts. But that's because their CBA negotiates, where the owners are making certain types of money, they [the players] get that as well.

Some waterboys have even been known to get hired as assistants for the team. While the average salary of an NBA waterboy is $53,000 to $58,000 a year, the highest-paying teams pay their waterboys upwards of $100,000 a year.

NBA players receive $106 per diem on the road for meals and incidentals.

Some athletes splurge with their first big paycheck, buying fancy cars, homes and other luxuries, while others are more conservative, using it to buy fast food or a celebratory keg.

On average a player loses almost half of their salary to the taxman, which really changes the picture. Taking that NBA benchwarmers are earning the minimum NBA salary from $1 to $3 million per season, that leaves them with around $0.5 to $1.5 million.

NBA's PTO and Vacation policy typically gives 20-30 days off a year. Paid Time Off is NBA's most important benefit besides Healthcare when ranked by employees, with 100% of employees saying it is the most important benefit. NBA's benefits and PTO Package averages to represent a $1000 -$1500 cash value per month.

Since most NBA players' contracts are fully guaranteed, NBA players have much more autonomy and job security than NFL players. Nothing in either league's respective CBA expressly requires or prohibits guaranteed contracts.

For the 2022-23 NBA season, the league minimum salaries have been set at various levels depending on a player's experience in the league. The rookie minimum salary has been set at $953,000 per year, while long-time veterans with over 10 years of experience can expect a minimum salary of $2.72 million per year.

How much does NBA pay for 10 days? ›

NBA 10-day contracts range from 61,000 to 175,000 dollars, based on the player's experience. Essentially, the minimum salary they are eligible for is pro-rated for the length of the contract.

In conclusion, NBA players do not get new jerseys for every game. The exact frequency of when they receive new jerseys depends on several factors such as the team, the type of game, and the length of the season.

1. Michael Jordan Net Worth - $2.2 Billion. Viewed by many as the greatest player in NBA history, Jordan has turned his basketball acumen into a multi-billion dollar enterprise. The six-time NBA Champion made over $90 million as a player and makes $130 million a year from Nike, as part of his iconic "Air Jordan" brand.

During the weekdays, the players would generally arrive anywhere between 8:00 am – 12:00 pm, and engage in basketball skill work either before or after lifting.

MLB teams play more often, but spend four to five days in each city, making for fewer miles travelled. NBA teams play, on average, slightly over three games a week over a 26-week regular season. And they go far, with most teams travelling well over 40,000 miles over the regular season.

Post-game: Repair with Protein

After the game, athletes should eat a high-protein meal that contains poultry, meats, fish, or legumes. “When you compete, you break down muscle. The protein helps repair it,” Sentongo said.

Unless it's a very well-known athlete traveling by themselves, most players don't get special rooms, especially if it's an entire team traveling together. Sometimes, rookie players will even have to share rooms.

Yes, basketball players typically eat at halftime. Halftime is typically a 15-minute break in the middle of the game, during which players go to their locker rooms to rest, hydrate, and refuel for the second half of the game.

It's not uncommon for NBA players' homes to have luxe amenities such as spacious gyms, full basketball courts, and enviable saunas.

What is a Last Two Minute Report? A Last Two Minute Report, or “L2M,” is a play-by-play report regarding all calls and material non-calls in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter or the last two minutes of any overtime period (if applicable) for all games (including playoffs) that meet designated criteria.

Do NBA players travel by bus or plane? ›

NBA players typically travel to and from games on chartered flights arranged by their teams. These flights are usually on private jets and provide players with a comfortable and convenient mode of transportation.

During the NBA season, players travel constantly, which means lots of time is spent on flights. This allows teams to bond in various ways, with gambling, socializing and talking smack being common gimmicks to pass time.

Hawaii is a popular destination for NBA players and a perfect location to take a family trip. While Russell Westbrook enjoys taking trips to Paris, Milan, and New York for their Fashion Weeks, he also enjoys taking his wife and kids on a relaxing and fun family vacation to the beautiful island of Hawaii.

In the NBA and FIBA, when a player has taken more than three steps without the ball being dribbled, a traveling violation is called. The NCAA and NFHS do not allow two steps. In 2018, FIBA revised the rule so that one can take a "gather step" before taking the two steps.

For example, the standard NBA contract specifically prohibits boxing, professional wrestling, motorcycling, moped-riding, auto-racing, sky-diving and hang-gliding. How should a hang-gliding enthusiast bide his time until his NBA career expires?

Lebron James Joins The Private Aviation Elite

Other NBA players, such as Michael Jordan, have also taken to the skies in their private jets. The most well-known jet Jordan has is a Gulfstream IV private jet painted blue-and-white, with a silhouette of a Slam-Doke on the tail.

NBA Child Ticket Policy

Several teams and venues don't require a ticket for children under two years of age as long as they sit on their guardian's lap, and others have maximum height limits to qualify. We've compiled each NBA team's child ticket policy below for easy reference.

NBA free agency allows teams to negotiate new contracts with players who are no longer under contract (free agents). During this time, teams may also offer contract extensions to their own players and trade with other teams. NBA free agency features multiple types of contracts, multiple exceptions and the salary cap.

Restricted Free Agency

A restricted free agent (RFA) can sign an offer sheet with any team, but the player's original team can retain him by matching the terms of that offer. The original team is said to have the “right of first refusal.”

Are NBA tickets hard to get? ›

Tickets to attend the N.B.A. and N.F.L. drafts are fairly plentiful, and not all that difficult to find.

How much do NBA tickets cost right now? Admission passes for matches across the league usually cost between $85 and $95. More expensive contests cost between $400 and $27,000 for fans who want VIP service or meet-and-greet passes.

The NFL free agency period is an opportunity for players to land lucrative paydays or find better team fits, while also serving as another avenue for teams to upgrade and improve their rosters.

They are free to sign with any franchise. Undrafted free agents are players eligible for the NFL Draft but were not selected; they can negotiate and sign with any team. Plan B free agency was a type of free agency that became active in the National Football League in February 1989 to 1992.

Players become free agents upon reaching six years of Major League service time or when they are released from their organization prior to reaching six years of service time. A free agent is eligible to sign with any club for any terms to which the two parties can agree.

That player has never received a qualifying offer previously in his career. 2. That player spent the entire season on that team's roster (in-season acquisitions are ineligible). A player can accept or decline the qualifying offer, during which time he can negotiate with other teams to survey his market value.

A player becomes a free agent when their contract with a particular team comes to an end, which frees them up to renegotiate a new contract with that team, or search for another team willing to pay them more money.

A hardship exception is a temporary roster spot granted to a team who has met the qualifications mentioned. For the Lakers, it would pave the way for them to sign a player to a 10-day contract.

Write a polite, friendly letter asking the player to autograph your card. Remember that athletes, like all celebrities, receive many requests from fans. Writing a thoughtful letter is key. If the player is still active, simply mail him your request in care of his team.