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Wednesday, June 27
Front and center to witness history
By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com
NEW YORK -- Barry Jenkins wanted tickets to the NBA draft so badly he never went to sleep Tuesday night. That's partly because the Florida resident, on his first venture to New York, began his journey when he hopped the 4:45 a.m. train from Bay Head, N.J. en route to New York's Penn Station.
Jenkins, who is a fan of Duke's Shane Battier and the Phoenix Suns, arrived at the Madison Square Garden box office at 6:45 a.m. with his brother and two friends, and was surprised that he was going to be the first in line. It was more than 5 hours before 1,500 tickets, priced at $10 apiece, were to go on sale.
"Nobody was here," said Jenkins, who was given wristband No. 087001, the last three numbers being the ones that counted. "So we took the wristband, had breakfast, rented a hotel room and came back at around 11:05."
When Jenkins returned, he saw the line he had expected. As he skimmed the crowd, he could see Nets fans readying for their team's No. 7 pick, Knicks fans who couldn't resist showing up (even though the team is without a first-round pick) and people who were hard to read. Some, clad in their shirt and tie, appeared to have come directly from work.
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You can say you saw him get drafted and if he's the real deal, you can only see it once. ” |
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— Khalid Bellinger on his hope of seeing the next Michael Jordan being drafted |
Khalid Bellinger, a Seattle SuperSonics fan from New York, said he didn't tell anyone at his insurance company he had left his desk until after arriving on Wednesday morning. Bellinger said he hopes to see the next Michael Jordan on The Theatre at Madison Square Garden stage.
"You can say you saw him get drafted and if he's the real deal, you can only see it once," Bellinger said.
Nick Akerberg wasn't expecting to be in line for NBA draft tickets when he showed up to work at Merrill Lynch Wednesday morning. Minutes after sitting down at his desk, Akerberg's boss Mauricio Rodriguez, a financial planner for NBA players, gave Akerberg time off to get him the maximum of four tickets for Wednesday night's event. "He likes to be on the scene at all times," said Akerberg, who was the 109th person in line when he showed up.
Knicks fan George Eley took time off from his job at a nursing home to get tickets. "It's takes a vacation just to get here in time for this," Eley said.
Some fans just came to see or hear a familiar name called by NBA commissioner David Stern.
John Huggins, a teammate of Eddie Griffin's at Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, also was in line. "I wanted to see him on the stage and give him my support," Huggins said.
And Josh Horowitz, a student at the University of Maryland, wanted to see Rodney White again. Horowitz said he watched White play at J.P. Stevens High School in Edison, N.J.
There were little objections about the ticket prices from the people who stood in line Wednesday morning and into the afternoon. Despite the popularity of its draft, the NFL's version is free.
Fernando Aguilera of the Bronx goes to Yankees games all the time, but he said the draft is his only chance to see the NBA players. He said he can't afford Knicks tickets, which on average sell for $60 more than a seat at a Yankees game, according to Team Marketing Report's Fan Cost Index.
Ponying up the $10 is a no brainer for Navendra Rhapal, a Bulls fan and Bronx resident. He was wearing a Michael Jordan jersey and a red-and-white headband. "I'm dying to see this draft," said Rhapal, who is anxious to see how the Bulls use the fourth pick in a draft that features four high school seniors who likely will be among the first 10 players selected.
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The best part of the draft is when a trade happens and everyone in the theatre goes crazy. ” |
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— New Jersey Nets fan Matt Zablocki |
For New Jersey Nets fan Matt Zablocki, draft tickets were the cheaper tickets he bought this week. The more expensive ones were his round trip flight from his home in Orlando, Fla. He flew to New York solely to attempt the draft.
"The best part of the draft is when a trade happens and everyone in the theatre goes crazy," said Zablocki, who said he attended the 1996 draft in New Jersey and 1999 draft in Washington D.C.
As with any ticket line, the day wasn't free of tension. One woman, who arrived at 9 a.m. and was 18th in the line, was yelling at a Madison Square Garden supervisor. She said she was worried people who arrived after her would get to the box office first.
The only thing Jenkins was worried about was if all the hype he heard about being at the draft would come true. At 11:51 a.m., the teenager finally stepped to ticket window No. 12, where he received his hard-earned ticket. Almost nine hours later, his journey was done.
Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at darren.rovell@espn.com.
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