Excitement around Zion has placed the Pelicans among the top half of the NBA in terms of total salesNBAE/GETTY IMAGES
The Pelicans have sold more than 12,000 season-ticket equivalents for '19-20, the "most the franchise has sold in more than a decade," and drafting F Zion Williamson "provided the jolt," according to Scott Kushner of NOLA.com. The figures place the Pelicans "among the top half of the NBA in terms of total sales." Coming off a 33-49 season headlined by C Anthony Davis' midseason trade request, the Pelicans were "arguably the league's most unlikely candidates to experience a ticket sales surge." The franchise was already in the "midst of pivoting its marketing toward group events and limiting tickets to brokers in hopes of shoring up the value on the secondary market." But now, all courtside seats at Smoothie King Center "are purchased," and the "lower bowl is 95% sold." The Pelicans are "expecting a sellout for their lone preseason game" at Smoothie King Center on Oct. 11. Pelicans Exec Dir of Ticket Sales, Service & Operations Bryan Ross said that the team "chopped down on the amount of tickets in the hands of outside brokers and believes the secondary market value will increase due to the lack of inventory available" (NOLA.com, 9/24).
