Knicks to give away tickets for NBA Finals games at MSG to kids through charity foundation
Knicks fans attend a watch party at Madison Square Garden on May 14, 2025. Credit: Jeff Bachner
As prices for NBA Finals tickets continue to set all-time records, the Knicks announced a ticket giveaway for underprivileged youth.
The Knicks will give 250 tickets per home game to youth in New York City, the team announced on Wednesday. Tickets will be distributed through the Garden of Dreams Foundation to families already affiliated with the charity.
“We are proud to create meaningful, once-in-a-lifetime experiences for underprivileged youth in our local communities,” Rich Constable, executive vice president and global head of government affairs & social impact at MSG Entertainment, said in a statement. “Making sure underserved youth are part of the Knicks Finals run is extremely important to the Knicks, ensuring the next generation of fans gets to be part of the story.”
The Knicks are hosting Games 3 and 4 (and 6 if needed) of the best-of-seven series against either Oklahoma City or San Antonio. The first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden since 1999 is scheduled for June 8.
The resale market continued to run hot on Thursday.
On the online ticket resale site StubHub, the lowest-price ticket for Game 3 was listed at more than $3,500 with the highest-price ticket being listed for more than $71,000.
The story was similar on other resale sites such as TickPick (tickets ranging from $3,600 to $47,000), SeatGeek ($3,500 to $88,000) and Gametime ($3,200 to $73,000).
Prices were similar for Game 4, which is scheduled for June 10.
Tickets for a potential Game 6 on June 16 were being listed at just under $5,000 on the low end on StubHub and more than $108,000 on the high end. The asking prices are higher because fans are hoping that could be the game in which the Knicks clinch their first NBA title since 1973.
The average resale ticket price for this year’s NBA Finals is hovering around $4,500, according to various resale sites. The previous high was about $1,600 for the 2024 Boston-Dallas series. The average for last year’s Oklahoma City-Indiana NBA Finals series was less than $1,200.
A Knicks TicketMaster presale for face-value tickets that was supposed to begin on Wednesday morning was postponed without warning. Fans had been encouraged to sign up for the “Knicks Fan First Program” presale by Tuesday at 11 p.m. for a chance to buy tickets to Garden games “before the general public.”
But there were no tickets available for sale at the appointed time. A TicketMaster spokesman said those who signed up would be notified about a new date for the presale.
There was no information on the TicketMaster website about NBA Finals tickets for the general public as of Thursday morning. There was a message that read: “On sale date and time are in the works — please check back!”
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
