CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Hornets rank fifth in the NBA for new season tickets sold so far this off-season and expect to have a total of 11,000 to 12,000 season tickets sold by October, team President Fred Whitfield said Tuesday.
If the Hornets reach the upper end of that estimate — 12,000 season-ticket equivalents — it will be the NBA franchise’s best sales year since 2017. Season-ticket equivalents represent a combination of full-season plans and smaller, multi-game packages; sports teams use season equivalent sales as a gauge of fan support and financial stability.
The Hornets are projecting 2,000 new season tickets will be sold this off-season.
Whitfield said 88% of season-ticket buyers from the 2019-20 season have renewed their seats for next season. The 2021-22 NBA season will tip off in October.
Last season, the Hornets did not sell season tickets because of the Covid-19 pandemic. During the second half of the shortened 2020-21 season, Charlotte and other NBA teams were able to have fans back at arenas. The Hornets capped capacity at 15% and, later, 25%.
“We’re really looking forward to a full season,” Whitfield said. “The plans are to have a full building and our sales team has just been phenomenal. We’ll probably end up with 2,000-plus new season tickets sold for this offseason.”
Whitfield spoke to CBJ as part of a Charlotte Regional Business Alliance panel discussion on Tuesday at the group’s quarterly investors’ meeting. Executives from the Carolina Panthers and the PGA Tour’s Presidents Cup also participated
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