AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.Mayor Zohran Mamdani paid roughly $1,000 for a standing-room-only ticket to Game 3 of the N.B.A. finals, using access to house tickets not available to regular fans.Listen · 6:42 min Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended the Knicks’ Game 3 loss in the N.B.A. finals with some former colleagues in the State Legislature.Credit...Vincent Alban for The New York TimesJune 10, 2026When Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would attend Game 3 of the N.B.A. finals, he made it clear that he intended to pay his way.He would not sit on celebrity row, nor be anywhere near President Trump and the bulletproof box he occupied at Madison Square Garden on Monday.
In fact, the mayor would not be sitting at all: His $1,000 ticket was designated standing room only, just above the so-called nosebleed seats.Mr. Mamdani was able to buy from a pool of house seats reserved for V.I.P.s and the well-connected — a common practice at sports and cultural venues around the country.
And by paying for his ticket, Mr. Mamdani appeared to avoid running afoul of city rules prohibiting gifts to elected officials.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT
