NBA gate

NBA Attendance Flat In '11-12; 76ers, T'Wolves Up Big, While Nets Leave Jersey In Last

Published April 27, 2012

NBA teams averaged 17,274 fans per game during the lockout-shortened '11-12 season, flat when compared to the '10-11 campaign. The Bulls again led all teams with 22,161 fans per game at United Center, up 1.7%. The Cavaliers saw the sharpest drop among all clubs, down 20.8% for the club's lowest attendance mark since '02-03, the season before they drafted F LeBron James. The Suns and Pistons also saw sharp drops at the gate. During their final season in New Jersey, the Nets ranked last in NBA attendance with 13,961 fans per game. The 76ers (+18.6%) and T'Wolves (+14.7%) were the only clubs to see a double-digit percentage jump at the gate this season. Listed below is NBA attendance for the '11-12 regular season, with comparisons to last season (THE DAILY).

'11-12 NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE REGULAR-SEASON ATTENDANCE
HOME TEAM	GMS	TOTAL	AVG.	% CAP.	PREV.	% +/-	GMS ('10-11)
Bulls	33	731,326	22,161	105.9%	21,792	1.7%	41
Heat	33	657,855	19,935	101.7%	19,779	0.8%	41
Knicks	33	652,179	19,763	100.0%	19,729	0.2%	41
Magic	33	623,587	18,897	100.3%	18,972	-0.4%	41
Celtics	33	614,592	18,624	100.0%	18,624	0.0%	41
76ers	33	577,597	17,503	86.1%	14,752	18.6%	41
Raptors	33	555,584	16,836	85.0%	16,592	1.5%	41
Wizards	33	552,038	16,728	82.5%	16,792	-0.4%	41
Cavaliers	33	525,577	15,927	77.5%	20,112	-20.8%	41
Hawks	33	501,593	15,200	81.2%	15,649	-2.9%	41
Bobcats	33	486,984	14,757	77.4%	15,846	-6.9%	41
Bucks	33	485,717	14,719	78.6%	15,412	-4.5%	41
Pistons	33	475,638	14,413	65.3%	16,660	-13.5%	41
Pacers	33	467,561	14,169	78.0%	13,538	4.7%	41
Nets	33	460,719	13,961	74.6%	14,180	-1.5%	41
E.C. TOTALS	495	8,368,547	16,906	86.2%	17,229	-1.9%	615
'11-12 NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE REGULAR-SEASON ATTENDANCE
HOME TEAM	GMS	TOTAL	AVG.	% CAP.	PREV.	% +/-	GMS ('10-11)
Trail Blazers	33	676,384	20,496	98.6%	20,510	-0.1%	41
Mavericks	33	671,050	20,335	105.9%	20,102	1.2%	41
Jazz	33	637,124	19,307	97.0%	19,512	-1.1%	41
Clippers	33	634,237	19,219	100.8%	17,743	8.3%	41
Lakers	33	626,901	18,997	100.0%	18,997	0.0%	41
Warriors	33	622,311	18,858	96.2%	18,693	0.9%	41
Spurs	33	607,095	18,397	99.0%	18,314	0.5%	41
Thunder	33	600,699	18,203	100.0%	18,148	0.3%	41
T'Wolves	33	577,197	17,491	90.4%	15,243	14.7%	41
Nuggets	33	561,966	17,029	88.9%	16,989	0.2%	41
Grizzlies	33	518,446	15,710	86.7%	14,651	7.2%	41
Suns	33	514,718	15,598	84.7%	17,567	-11.2%	41
Rockets	33	506,994	15,363	85.1%	16,191	-5.1%	41
Hornets	33	498,618	15,110	87.9%	14,709	2.7%	41
Kings	33	478,764	14,508	83.8%	13,890	4.4%	41
W.C. TOTALS	495	8,732,504	17,641	93.9%	17,417	1.3%	615
NBA TOTALS	990	17,101,051	17,274	89.9%	17,323	-0.3%	1,230

NOTES: NBA teams this year played a 66-game schedule and started the season in late December, compared to '10-11, when teams played their traditional 82-game schedules and began in late October. All attendance data is based on totals posted immediately following games. Figures do not reflect any subsequent adjustments made by teams or the league.