NBA Franchise Notes: Grizzlies Seeing Boost From Iverson Signing

Iverson's Jersey Sold Out At Arena's Team Store

In Memphis, Ronald Tillery reports the Grizzlies are "experiencing increased merchandise and box-office sales as a result of signing" G Allen Iverson last week. The team store at FedExForum "quickly sold out of Iverson's No. 3 jersey, and is now filling several orders." The Grizzlies also are "selling hundreds of additional season-ticket packages." Iverson yesterday left for Europe on an "eight-day Reebok promotional tour," which "will make stops in Italy, Poland and Spain." Meanwhile, the Grizzlies yesterday announced that 50 games this season will be broadcast on FS Tennessee and 20 will air on SportSouth (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 9/16).

ROCKETS IN FLIGHT: BLOOMBERG NEWS' David Wethe reported the Rockets are selling '09-10 season tickets at a "record pace after cutting prices." Rockets CEO Tad Brown said that the team is "'approaching' the mark of 10,000 season tickets sold for one year." Brown: "Ten thousand is kind of the benchmark number that teams look at and the league looks at and says, 'These are very healthy franchises.' We've come a long, long way." Brown said the team has "sold more season tickets at this time of any point since we moved into the Toyota Center" in '03. Brown noted that prices have been reduced from 8-20% on "about one out of every four seats" at Toyota Center (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 9/15).

KEEPING PACE: T’Wolves CEO Rob Moor said that the team has “sold 1,000 new season tickets.” In Minneapolis, Sid Hartman noted the team’s season ticket total is “expected to be in the area of 7,000, the same as last year” (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 9/14).