‘Getting richer every day’: Bernie Sanders does not hold back on ‘billionaire’ NBA owners
· Yahoo Sports
The 2026-27 NBA season tipped off this week, with the New York Knicks raising their long-awaited championship banner at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. But one prominent politician is far more focused on what it cost fans to get in the building.
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Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders called out the league’s ownership class on Wednesday, pointing out that nearly every NBA owner is a billionaire while ticket prices keep climbing out of reach for regular families.
NBA Season Tips Off
Banner night at MSG came with a hefty price tag, and Sanders was not too happy about it, as he took to social media to call out the “billionaire” NBA owners for the soaring ticket prices.
“As the NBA season begins this week, remember: 26 out of 30 NBA owners are billionaires — getting richer every day. Meanwhile, the average ticket price to see the Knicks play the Sixers last night cost $1,894,” Sanders wrote on X.
“No. You should not have to be rich to take your kids to a ball game,” he added.
Sanders has made affordability a centerpiece of his message, and this isn’t the first time he’s gone after pro sports owners. Back on Aug. 20, he pointed out that taxpayers often help foot the bill for the very venues fans are being priced out of.
“31 out of 32 NFL owners are billionaires. 26 out of 30 NBA owners are billionaires. 26 out of 30 MLB owners are billionaires. Your tax dollars helped build their stadiums,” Sanders wrote at the time. “But today, the average person can’t afford the price of a ticket to a sporting event. That must change.”
Prices Across the League
The league’s wealthiest owner certainly helps make Sanders’ point. Los Angeles Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has an estimated net worth of $166 billion, as noted by OutKick.
Ballmer is also currently serving a one-year league suspension after an NBA investigation into the team’s dealings with Kawhi Leonard. The Clippers were fined $30 million and forced to forfeit multiple first-round picks.
To be fair, not every game requires a second mortgage. Clippers opening night seats on the secondary market ranged from $51 to $163 before fees, while tickets for Wednesday’s Trail Blazers-Suns game went for as little as $50.
Still, the trend is moving in the wrong direction. The Golden State Warriors became the first NBA team to introduce personal seat licenses, which force fans to pay an upfront fee just for the right to buy season tickets at Chase Center. Half of those seats were initially sold with license fees of $15,000 or less. The other half cost even more.
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