Celebrity Row at Madison Square Garden has always had its own economy. In Game 3 of the NBA Finals, it officially reached absurd New York levels.
The Knicks announced that the winning bid in a charity auction for two celebrity row seats to Monday night’s Game 3 against the San Antonio Spurs was $1 million. It is the first NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden since 1999, and apparently, history now comes with a seven-figure price tag.
The winning bid was split by law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and private equity firm Veritas Capital. The money benefits the Garden of Dreams Foundation, and the Knicks said it was the largest single donation in the foundation’s history.
That is the fun part of this very ridiculous number. Yes, two seats went for $1 million. Yes, that is $500,000 per chair before anyone buys a hot dog. But the auction also turns the Knicks’ long-awaited Finals return into something bigger than courtside status. The Garden of Dreams Foundation works with MSG’s companies to support children facing serious obstacles across the tri-state area.
The Knicks are already up 2-0 in the series, the Garden is preparing for its loudest night in decades, and now even the seats have a headline.
Only in New York can two chairs become a million-dollar event.
