Does my child need a ticket to go to a NBA game?
Families looking to bring young children to NBA games are often wondering if they will be required to purchase a ticket for their child, or if the venue will let them in for free. Each NBA team and venue sets their own child ticket policy, and there is no universal child ticket policy that governs all NBA teams. Every NBA team offers free child admittance for certain children, with most teams allowing children under a certain age to enter for free. A few teams do their free child admittance based on the height of the child. We have put together a complete list of the child ticket policies for all 31 NBA teams, so that you know exactly what to expect when bringing a child to an NBA game.
Free admittance for children under 2 years old (have not reached their 2nd birthday):
Free admittance for children under 3 years old (have not reached their 2nd birthday):
Free admittance for children under 34″ Tall:
Free admittance for children under 36″ Tall:
The vast majority of NBA teams have the cutoff for free child admittance set to under 2 years old. Six teams offer an extra year of free child admittance, with the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, and Washington Wizards allowing children who haven’t reached their 3rd birthday to enter without a ticket. The average 2 year old is around 34″ tall, making the under 36″ tall child ticket policy of the Bulls, Rockets, and Magic slightly more generous on average. For all NBA teams, if your child is admitted without a ticket, they must sit on a parent or guardians lap for the duration of the game. It is best practice to have proof of your child’s age with you as you come up to arena, to avoid any last minute hassles or hiccups at the gate.