NBA Franchise Notes: 76ers Not Raising Prices For ’07-08

Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko in an e-mail indicated that the 76ers will not be raising ticket prices next season. Luukko: “We’ve readjusted some of our pricing for the Sixers and when you look at it (on average), some of our prices have been slightly reduced.” He added the ticketing structure for the Mezzanine Level will be reconfigured from four price categories to three, dropping the average price there from $33.62 to $31.58. In all, the “average overall ticket price will go from $70.26 to $69.39.” In Philadelphia, Paul Vigna noted the 76ers finished the season with “around 15,000 tickets sold per game, their lowest average attendance” since ’95-96 when they averaged 11,935 at the Philadelphia Spectrum (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 4/18).

SONICS: With the Sonics looking at possibly relocating before their KeyArena lease expires in 2010, Save Our Sonics & Storm’s Steven Pyeatt in a guest commentary for the DAILY OKLAHOMAN writes, “The message we are sending to Oklahoma City is don’t get too excited at what you see going on in Seattle right now. ... We all hope you get to have a NBA team in your fine city, but we will not allow it to be our team” (DAILY OKLAHOMAN, 4/20). Sources said that if the team “gets the NBA’s okay” to move to Oklahoma City, Sonics Owner Clay Bennett will “likely go after” Spurs GM R.C. Buford (ESPN THE MAGAZINE, 4/23 issue).

T’WOLVES: In Minneapolis, Sid Hartman notes just 64% of T’Wolves season-ticket holders have renewed for the ’07-08 season (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 4/20).