Knicks' Hart slams absurd ticket prices ahead of Game 3 of NBA Finals

New York Knicks guard Josh Hart. Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Knicks' Josh Hart slams absurd ticket prices ahead of Game 3 of NBA Finals against Spurs

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Jun 8, 2026 8:52 AM ET

Not even New York Knicks guard Josh Hart is sure he would cough up the money needed to purchase a ticket for Game 3 of the NBA Finals.

The Knicks will face the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 on Monday (ABC, 8:30 p.m. ET) at Madison Square Garden, aiming to extend their best-of-seven series lead to 3-0. It marks the first time since June 25, 1999, that the world's most famous arena has hosted an NBA Finals game. Coincidentally, New York faced San Antonio in that series, losing in five games.

Consequently, ticket prices are skyrocketing. Hart called out these outrageous costs during his Sunday news conference.

Josh Hart speaks on absurd ticket prices

"The environment, the atmosphere is going to be electric, obviously, and we're happy that we're at home and we have them at our back. I kind of wish the ticket prices weren't as crazy as they are," Hart said. "A lot of people who have been waiting for this moment for a long time, unfortunately, aren't able to get into the building. The cheapest ticket is $7K-$8K, that's ridiculous."

"I wish the ticket prices weren't as crazy as they are. A lot of people who have been waiting for this moment for a very long time unfortunately aren't able to get into the building. $7K, $8K is ridiculous."

Josh Hart on the ticket prices for Game 3 of the NBA Finals at MSG: pic.twitter.com/2BuW1j3SWj
— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) June 7, 2026

Longtime sports journalist Darren Rovell shared some of these eye-popping numbers on Sunday. The cheapest ticket in this grouping cost $2,127.50.

Face value for Knicks tickets for Game 3 released by team today:

Section 317 — $2,127.50

Section 226 — $2,530

Section 213 — $2,817.50

Section 224 — $3,162.50

Section 113 — $3,795

Section 9 — $4,140
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) June 7, 2026

Despite that, expect Madison Square Garden — which holds up to 22,000 spectators — to be full on Monday night. In another post, Rovell noted that 672,124 people were waiting in the online queue for Game 3.

At least 672,124 people in second queue to get Game 3 tickets in second Knicks fan sale of the day. pic.twitter.com/hUnKJaW3wl
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) June 7, 2026

Still, should the common fan have to pay that much to see their favorite team? Many would say no. They would prefer to watch at home, where they don't have to pay even more for overpriced popcorn and soda.

We could guess what Hart would do. He'd probably stay in instead of attending the game, and he makes more in a season than many people do in their lives. The guard, who is in the second year of a four-year deal, earns $20.228M per year.

If he's complaining about the prices, that further proves these tickets are unreasonable. Someone shouldn't have to pay more than their monthly rent to attend a game, even if it's a championship series.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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