The Lakers were sold to new owner Mark Walter at a $10 billion valuation, making it one of the most valuable franchises in all of sports.
But now the team wants to be even more valuable, which comes at the expense of the fans.
Earlier this week, the team revealed that it is jacking up ticket prices for next season.
“We are adjusting season ticket pricing for next season,” said the team in a statement to ESPN. “The updates reflect the current market landscape and demand.”
That adjustment appears to be a Tr**p tariff-like adjustment as, according to ESPN.com, it ranges from 14% to 45.9%, which means fans are about to get hit hard in their wallets if they want to continue owning their seats next season.
Just got my Lakers season ticket invoice. They are not only raising prices next season 14% (for my section), but are also adding a 3% "Admin Fee" if you don't pay in full.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) February 21, 2026
5-month and 9-month payment plans were available for recent previous season, without a % penalty. pic.twitter.com/e9dlf0xPL7
“Just got my Lakers season ticket invoice. They are not only raising prices next season 14% (for my section), but are also adding a 3% “Admin Fee” if you don’t pay in full,” wrote basketball personality Rob Perez on X.
ESPN said they were contacted by a season-ticket holder with 300 level seats and that their prices are jumping from $6,192 this season to $9,035 next season, an increase of almost 46%. Their price in the 2024-25 season was $5,494, which means that their cost will jump a little under 70% in two seasons.
At a time where costs are going up across many items and the cost of living in California is already expensive, this increase by the Lakers seems unfair.
But to the team, which currently has 99.8% of their seats occupied by averaging 18,877 fans per game out of a maximum capacity of 18,910, the rates are justified.
They stated as much in the email to season ticket holders from longtime president of business operations Tim Harris.
