76ers to Donate 500 Tickets per Home Playoff Game in Bid to Curb Knicks Fan Influx
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The Philadelphia 76ers will give away 500 tickets for each remaining second-round home game, directing them to local community organizations in an effort to ensure Wells Fargo Center is filled with hometown supporters rather than New York Knicks fans.
The team announced the plan on May 8, saying the tickets for Friday’s Game 3 will go to 250 front-line medical workers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine and 250 educators selected by Learn Fresh, Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia, the School District of Philadelphia and the Camden, New Jersey School District.
For Sunday’s Game 4, the club will host 500 mothers and children identified by Uplift Center for Grieving Children, Boys & Girls Club of Philadelphia, La Liga del Barrio and Apologues.
The giveaway follows an earlier attempt to restrict sales through Ticketmaster to buyers in the greater Philadelphia area. Two years ago, Knicks fans flooded the arena during a first-round matchup, prompting All-Star center Joel Embiid to urge locals not to sell their seats this time around.
“Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like this was Madison Square Garden East,” Embiid said before the series began. “Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you.”
Knicks forward Josh Hart acknowledged New York supporters are undeterred. “They’re persistent. If they get a good price for those tickets, they’re going to sell them,” he said.
New York leads the best-of-seven series 2-0 heading into Game 3 in Philadelphia.
Source: ESPN
