By Stephen Witt
Brooklyn’s hardworking basketball fans will not be forgotten once the NBA’s Nets land in Brooklyn, according to team spokesperson Barry Baum. Baum’s comments fly in the face of a recent published report touting that tickets for Nets games, once the team comes to Brooklyn, are estimated to go for between $51 and $970 each. “We want to make Nets games in Brooklyn as accessible for everyone and so we’re providing 2,000 $15 tickets for all regular season games in the upper bowl seats,” said Baum. Baum also noted that the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), signed with eight local community based organizations, calls for the team to designate one luxury suite, four seats in the lower bowl and 50 seats in the upper bowl for community seats. The seats will be free and priority will be given to seniors and youth for Nets games throughout the year as per the CBA, said Baum. Baum also said the NBA currently requires that each team sell 500 tickets for $10 each. Baum’s comments came after a published report cited a confidential December audit by KPMG projects that the Nets will charge a $4,500 “personal seat license” fee for the best 4,500 seats at Barclays Center once the 18,000-seat arena is built and the team starts playing there in 2009-2010 season. The audit also states that the 170 luxury suits in the $637 million arena could command a record $463,710 each. But Baum noted the KPMG report was separate from the Nets management and might not necessarily reflect the team’s ticket pricing. “The KPMG report is an independent consultant’s projection prepared for the Empire State Development Corporation of how the economics of the arena might work and the actual numbers may very,” said Baum. “We’re committed to making Nets games accessible for everyone in Brooklyn and the metropolitan area,” he added. Meanwhile, Brooklyn-born rap artist Def Jam Records President and Nets part-owner Sean (Jay-Z) Carter, said that to have an NBA team in Brooklyn up the street and down the block brings the dream closer to youths in the borough. “I was telling Bruce [Ratner] and the guys from the beginning [that] you guys think this is a good idea, but you don’t understand it’s really a great idea,” said Jay-Z. “You don’t understand the passion and love that Brooklynites have for each other and something they can claim ownership in. They have no idea how incredible its going to be,” he added.
