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.
[ ALSO READ: BUZZ CITY: Hornets get Bouknight at No. 11, Jones at No. 19 via Knicks ]
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
Read more here.
(Watch Below: BUZZ CITY: Hornets select UConn’s James Bouknight 11th overall in the 2021 NBA Draft)
This browser does not support the video element.