NBA Ticket Prices Increase After Kobe Bryant Retirement Announcement

NBA ticket prices have increased dramatically across the entire league now that Kobe Bryant has announced that he will be retiring after the season ends, according to ESPN.

Whenever your favorite rock band announces that they are doing one final tour, people are going to flock to the shows even if it means that they have to pay more than they normally would. The chance to see something happening for the very last time is appealing to many. In this regard, Bryant is very much like a one man rock band. On Sunday, Bryant shocked the world when he announced that he would be retiring from the NBA after the end of the season. By Sunday night, ticket prices across the country escalated dramatically.

Great players like Bryant don’t come along frequently. He’s a special player. The longtime Los Angeles Lakers guard is one of the very few guys who has been able to live up to a comparison to Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan. That debate will be going on for at least the next century. The fact that it is a viable debate at all shows just how great Kobe has been in the NBA.

NBA ticket prices were actually rising before Bryant made his retirement announcement on Sunday. Vendors started noticing that Kobe had his family sitting at courtside more frequently than was normal. That led many to speculate that the 6-foot-7-inch, 210 pound star had privately told his wife and children of his plan to step away from the game of basketball. Vanessa, Natalia and Gianna caught a lot of attention when they appeared at Madison Square Garden to see the Lakers play the New York Knicks.

While they have the financial means to do so, it is highly unlikely that Bryant would want his family to attend every single game that he has remaining on the schedule this year. It’s a grueling schedule and his daughters are still in school. They will more than likely choose certain cities to visit. They already did Madison Square Garden. They may attend the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 1 since that is where Kobe was born.

The game against the Sixers isn’t the only interesting one left for Bryant. On February 2, 2016, Kevin Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves head into Los Angeles. Bryant and Garnett, two of the oldest players in the NBA, will be playing one another for the very last time. On February 19, 2016, fans at the Staples Center will get to witness the final time that Kobe and Tim Duncan playing against one another. March 10, 2016 is the date of the final battle between Bryant and LeBron James.

While he has been the villain for opposing fan bases for years, many are expecting warm receptions for Bryant as he makes his way around the NBA for the final time. The fact that the Lakers are not playoffs contenders makes it easier for opposing fan bases to show appreciation toward Kobe, who definitely has not been the same threat on the court in recent seasons. For his part, Bryant will more than likely embrace the fans in whatever arena he plays in, something that has not always been the case over the years.

Would you be willing to spend more money to see Kobe Bryant playing in the NBA for the final time?

[Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images ]