StubHub, the world’s largest event marketplace, today released its second annual NBA Season Preview, which includes the top-trending teams, hottest-selling games and most popular NBA merchandise heading into the 2018-19 season.
For the second season in a row, the Los Angeles Lakers are the most in-demand team, but after the offseason signing of the league’s star talent, LeBron James, demand for the team increased by 427% over last season. The Lakers’ home opener against the Houston Rockets – and LeBron’s Los Angeles debut – is the most in-demand game of the season. The Lakers even dominate on the road. StubHub sees an increase of nearly 374% in sales over the average when the Lakers come to town as the visiting team.
“The overwhelming demand for Lakers tickets is a testament to the value of star power on a team, with fans excited to see LeBron in his new home,” said Scott Jablonski, StubHub's general manager of NHL, NFL & NBA. “It’s not often that we see this large of a spike in demand for a team that already led sales the season before. There are only a handful of athletes in the world who can make an impact on ticket demand like LeBron can.”
StubHub worked with eBay data analysts to identify how the LeBron effect has played into jersey sales and sneakers. LeBron’s Lakers jersey is the top-selling NBA jersey on eBay this offseason. In fact, more than 12,000 jerseys have been sold since LeBron signed with Los Angeles on July 2 - that’s nearly 200 per day.
The LeBron momentum spills into the sneaker game as well. Sales of his LeBron 15 signature shoe on eBay doubled that of Kyrie Irving’s Kyrie 4. His new Western Conference rival, Stephen Curry, came in at number four on the best-selling rankings.
“At eBay, we most recently saw teams in the East drive the most sales for all NBA merchandise from June through August 2018,” said Sam Bright, eBay vice president of Soft Goods, North America. “LeBron’s move to Los Angeles certainly ignites iconic rivalries and we look forward to seeing which coast moves the needle across fan sales at tip-off.”
For the full NBA Preview, visit StubHub’s PressBox.