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Sport Nation
With LeBron and Luka, Is This The Season to Get Lakers Tickets?
SEN • April 9th, 2025 4:47 pm
The combination of the Luka Dončić–Anthony Davis trade that took place mid-season this year and LeBron James turning 40 back on December 30th has raised a major question for Australian NBA fans – is this the season to travel to the States and catch a Lakers game live?
You don’t even need to be a Lakers fan to want to see these two legends in action – and on the same team. The issue is that this year’s season is almost over, and ticket costs (not to mention flight costs) are approaching record highs with all the anticipation.
For those who want to catch LeBron before he retires, however, there has never been a better justification to actually splurge on court tickets.
Firstly, is it actually worth it for Australian NBA fans?
It’s likely the main barrier to grabbing NBA tickets for the last few matches of the season is just cost. The US dollar is pretty strong at the moment, so travelling to the States for most Aussie NBA fans is ultimately going to be cost-intensive. Ticket scams are also a common occurrence for people looking to buy Lakers tickets internationally – especially closer to game days.
Thankfully, there are ways you can protect yourself here, namely by purchasing tickets well in advance and only through authorised ticketing offices and resell platforms. Securing international travel insurance can also help protect you financially in the event of a flight cancellation or other unforeseen events.
But is the trip itself still worth it, given we’re approaching the last few games of the season and ticket prices are rising fast? On the off chance that LeBron retires at the end of next season (he’s already asserted he’s good for 2025-2026), you may only have 2-12 months to see the legend on the court himself before he hangs up his jersey for good.
What do tickets cost to see the Lakers in 2025?
Tickets are still available on Ticketmaster for most of the Lakers games lined up across March through to the finals in mid April and it’s actually not too pricey – for now! At the time we’re writing this, outer section (Section 300 and above) seats are currently only about $200-$400AUD, so you can get the full stadium experience for less than you may expect. That’s a small price to pay to see LeBron James do his thing and experience the atmosphere of the court as he plays.
__Will prices go up as stadiums reach capacity? __
Yes. But with so many celebrities sitting courtside this season, your ticket cost may be further justified by seeing some familiar faces up on the jumbotron. Even so, there are no guarantees that lowest costs for seats won’t increase over the coming weeks, so we highly recommend fans who are looking to splurge on an NBA pilgrimage book their flights, accommodation, and game tickets as promptly as possible so as not to miss the final plays of this current season.
What’s Luka’s game like so far?
Mark Cuban never wanted to trade Luka Dončić and even went on the record recently saying that the Mavs could’ve actually gotten a better deal for him. The official stance of the Dallas Mavericks is that they traded Dončić to improve the team's defense, but rumours of concerns regarding Dončić's weight and upcoming potential 'supermax' contract extension seem to ring true with sports journalists, even if officials from the Mavs franchise neither confirm nor deny this reasoning.
But any concerns of Luka being off his game seem misplaced at the moment, with Dončić scoring over 30 points in the last 5 out of 6 games he’s played with the team, including their most recent match against the Phoenix Suns, all while LeBron has still been sidelined due to a groin injury.
Will LeBron play again this season?
According to Bleacher Report, LeBron is ‘taking steps’ back to being game-ready, although officials have confirmed that he’ll be out for at least another week. This means that fans looking to book tickets in April to wind down the season can still expect to see LeBron on the court.
But LeBron has asserted that playing with Luka Dončić has been something he’s ‘dreamed’ about himself, and on multiple occasions now. With LeBron eager to get back in the game and into plays with Dončić, it’s safe to say Benjamin Buckets will be out on the court again to see out the 2024-2025 season.
See the Lakers at full force across the 24-25 NBA Season
The owner of the Dallas Mavericks asserts that trading Dončić was a ‘long term decision’. So all things considered, it’s likely that Dončić will play for the Lakers for a while yet – and his game may even be better in the 2025-2026 season, although we’re of the opinion that he’s been performing great this season thus far.
But will LeBron be around? Whilst he says he will be, he’s currently already sidelined with an injury. And there are still risks of injuries taking him out for the rest of this year’s season, or even prompting him to retire earlier than planned. Even if you don’t get to catch LeBron on the court in the flesh, you can at least still enjoy Josh Giddey playing for the Bulls, which is ultimately going to be just as meaningful an experience for all Aussie NBA fans who aren’t repping Lakers colours but want to support this homegrown up-and-comer who’s drawing eyes across the Bulls franchise and the wider league.
