Sam Amico
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James entered Tuesday needing just 36 points to break the NBA all-time scoring mark, set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar way back in 1989.
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So it’s a landmark achievement, and if you hope to see it live, you had best be prepared for once-in-a-lifetime prices.
Beginning with Tuesday’s home game vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder, tickets to watch James are going anywhere from $450 to $1,000 on Ticketmaster. Some even cost more.
In fact, per several outlets, the cost to attend a Lakers game this season has already increased by 211 percent. Remember, that’s just to get in the door — and doesn’t include parking, concessions or merchandise.
And the closer James gets to the scoring mark, the higher ticket prices become. Granted, anyone who sees the Lakers plays the Thunder hopes that James has a 36-point night in him.
“Yeah, I do,” he told reporters, via Hoops Wire.
For the record, James is averaging 30.0 points entering Tuesday. So he’s right — 36 is undoubtedly doable for him. At 38-years-old, that’s fairly remarkable. He remains the lone player in the NBA from the 2003 draft class, having been chosen No. 1 overall. Other big names from that draft, such as Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have all retired or are out of work.
Yet James is continuing on, somehow looking nearly as good as ever, getting ready to accomplish a once-in-generation achievement. That makes it worth the price of admission — even if admission for a few hours of basketball exceeds the $1,000 range.
By the way, Jabbar’s record is 38,387 points. He is expected to be in attendance for Tuesday’s game, as well as the Lakers’ home game Thursday vs. the Bucks in the event James doesn’t score 36 vs. the Thunder. Jabbar played for both the Bucks and Lakers in his career.
James has won with each of the Lakers and Cavaliers, as well as another with the Heat.
