The National Basketball Association (NBA) slammed dunks on its previous attendance records during the recently concluded 2023-24 season.
Overall attendance soared to a new high of 22,538,518 fans across the regular season, surpassing the mark set just last year.
The excitement wasn’t confined to specific games. Average attendance soared to a record 18,324 fans per contest, a significant jump from the previous season’s 18,077. This translated to a packed house atmosphere, with arenas reaching an all-time high average capacity of 98%.
The hunger to see NBA stars live resulted in a record-breaking 872 sellouts, compared to 791 the year before. This translates to a remarkable 71% of games selling out entirely, a significant increase from 63% in the 2022-23 season.
A dozen franchises, including the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz also managed to sell out every single home game throughout the season.
The NBA’s surging popularity extends beyond packed arenas. The league recently partnered with Roku, a leading streaming platform in the U.S., launching the first-ever NBA FAST channel featuring classic games and exclusive content. Additionally, the UK broadcasting rights were secured by BBC Sport, bringing NBA action to British fans.
The momentum continues as the league prepares for the playoffs. The highly anticipated 2024 NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel, starts Saturday, April 20.