So, here they are.
All courtside seats are purchased. The lower bowl is 95% sold.
And the ultimate sign? The Pelicans are expecting a sellout for their lone preseason game in the Smoothie King Center on October 11 and are even prioritizing seats for the team’s intrasquad practice on October 5.
“What’s so unique is the level of interest that’s coming to us,” Ross said. “We are used to going and talking to the buyer that’s coming to a game or two, but all of a sudden it switched. And we are like, ‘Woah, we’ve got to contact these people right away.’ So, that’s a great problem to have.”
Zion didn’t cure all, though. Challenges still exist.
Too often the Pelicans have struggled to get ticket-holders into the building, especially for unattractive opponents or inconvenient weeknight games. And the secondary market, which has undercut ticket prices for many years when the team languished, is still an unknown for many fans who are concerned about making an advance purchase.
However, Ross says they’ve chopped down on the amount of tickets in the hands of outside brokers and believes the secondary market value will increase due to the lack of inventory available.
“The nice thing about what’s happened, is that while we’ve sold a lot of full season tickets, but what we’ve done really well in right now is the partial season ticket packages,” Ross said. “In the past we’ve sold some 12 game packs where one sells well, but the other two don’t sell as well. But, we have been able to sell those evenly throughout and that puts different people in there for smaller commitments of games and usually encourages people to use their tickets.”
The grind of a 41-game home slate is rife with difficulties and obstacles. And considering the pressure on Williamson’s shoulders, it will be demanding to meet expectations for all of those who’ve made purchases hoping to see the rise of an Instagram-fueled phenom.
But, regardless of how the season unfolds, this summer allowed the Pelicans to get a clear look at what’s possible. Ross said many of the ticket-buyers are new to the franchise, approaching the team without a single record to their name, a concept nearly unthinkable in the midst of Davis morass earlier this year.
The image of the celebrating salesmen shows precisely when the tipping point occurred, and in hindsight those wide smiles have been justified.
“We weren’t expecting it,” Ross said. “But we were ready for it if it happened. And, here we are. It’s really been great
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