The report says the Philadelphia 76ers will donate 500 tickets for each remaining home second-round playoff game to area community groups as part of an effort to keep more of their own fans in the building and avoid a takeover by New York Knicks supporters.
The report says the Sixers previously tried to limit out-of-town attendance by asking Ticketmaster to geographically restrict sales to the greater Philadelphia area. The report adds that when the teams met two years ago, Knicks fans swarmed Philadelphia, prompting an appeal from Sixers All-Star center Joel Embiid before this series. The report quotes Embiid as saying, “Last time we played the Knicks, it felt like this was Madison Square Garden East. So we’re going to need the support… Don’t sell your tickets. This is bigger than you. We need you guys.”
The report says the Sixers outlined specific recipients for the donated tickets. For Game 3, the team said 250 frontline medical personnel from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Penn Medicine and 250 local educators selected by Learn Fresh, Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia, the Philadelphia school district and the Camden, New Jersey, school district would attend on Friday night.
Per the report, the Sixers will host 500 mothers and children for Sunday’s Game 4, with seats allocated by Uplift Center for Grieving Children, Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia, La Liga del Barrio and Apologues.
The report says the Knicks lead the best-of-seven series 2-0. The report quotes Knicks forward Josh Hart as saying entering the series, “Good thing about New Yorkers, man, they’re persistent. They don’t care, bro. They’re going to do it, man… if they get a good price for those tickets, they’re going to sell them.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
