As LeBron rumours swirled, Heat ticket sales flew
The mere hint of LeBron James going to the Miami Heats made the Heat winners — at the box office.
James shocked the basketball world on Thursday when he elected to join the Heats. James’ decision to join the Miami Heat was received with just about every emotion imaginable, from raucous joy in Miami to deep anguish in Cleveland, where a native son of Ohio won two most valuable player trophies and was revered like almost no other athlete in the city’s long history.
Season-ticket sales for the coming Heat season were suspended Thursday afternoon after the entire supply of available seats sold out.
That doesn’t mean all 19,600 seats are gone for the 41 home games. Not every seat has been released for sale and some will be held back for single-game purchases.
By mid-afternoon Thursday, a message was posted on the Heat website inviting fans to call the team ticket office directly for purchase-related questions. Earlier Thursday, season packages were available starting at US$4,300, and the auction sites like eBay had some packages offered for as much as US$18,500.
The Heat declined comment, although it was expected that on Friday — whether James picked Miami or not — more tickets would be made available. Heat fans have been encouraged to buy them for months, even getting told during in-game announcements last season that prices would go up as the 2010-11 campaign drew nearer.
Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers couldn’t resist getting in on the ticket frenzy.
South Florida’s NHL team, which plays its games about 30 minutes north of the Heat home in downtown Miami, offered James a nod with a “Seats Fit For A King” promotion. Through Monday, the Panthers were selling season tickets with a per-game price of US$23 — King James’ former jersey number — in their lower bowl, and for US$6 — his new jersey number — in the upper bowl.
“Based on the hype surrounding rumors of a new King headed to South Florida, we wanted to remind our fans that we want them to feel like royalty,” said Panthers president and chief operating officer Michael Yormark on Thursday. “Certainly, it’s an exciting time to be part of the South Florida sports industry.”
