The NBA posted records for attendance and the number of sellouts during the 2022-23 season, eclipsing records set in 2017-18 (attendance) and 2018-19 (sellouts), but it is on pace to break both marks at the league’s midseason break.
Fan attendance is up 2% from last year, which set records for total attendance (22.2 million) and average per game (18,077). The 791 sellouts are also poised to be eclipsed, with the league already at 524 sellouts at the All-Star break.
There are two driving forces at play, according to Jonathan Tillman, who was named the head of the NBA’s team marketing and business operations (TMBO) in January. He cites the competitiveness across the standings this season—the top four Western Conference teams were separated by a half game a week ago—and the introduction of the new In-Season Tournament.
The inaugural IST tipped off with skeptics abound, but the high level of play made believers out of players and owners. Fans got on board as well, as NBA games averaged 18,208 fans for the month, the highest November in league history.
“It really did a lot to create heightened fan interest and early season awareness with a number of games of consequence,” Tillman said in an interview.
Teams have been collecting reams of data in recent years on their customers, which has helped improve offerings for fans for different ticket packages and other features. “Our teams have gotten more and more sophisticated across the board, introducing new technology and other ways to engage fans as well to help build relationships,” Tillman said.
There are 10 teams that have sold out every game this season. The Boston Celtics, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Utah Jazz are regulars on that list. Others include the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are a new entry among the full capacity crowd, after filling the Target Center at less than 90% capacity last year with only the Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards faring worse, according to ESPN.
The Timberwolves kicked off their season with a preseason trip to Abu Dhabi as part of the NBA’s Global Games. “It’s only recently that we’ve been able to get in the postseason and start to create some relevancy and a more established brand,” team president Ethan Casson said in an interview after the trip. “One of the things that that was really important was we need to be on the global stage, and we need to be participating in the international games.”
The team hasn’t looked back since it returned from the Middle East. It is in first place in the Western Conference led by guard Anthony Edwards and center Karl-Anthony Towns. At 39-16, its .709 winning percentage would be the best in franchise history—it topped .625 only once before in its previous 34 seasons.