Getting into Madison Square Garden for the NBA Finals will cost most people a small fortune. Courtside seats are listed as high as $595,000. A seat in the upper deck is running thousands.
At least 500 kids are getting in free.
The Knicks and MSG Sports announced Wednesday they will donate at least 500 tickets to underprivileged youth in New York City for their home Finals games through the Garden of Dreams Foundation, a nonprofit that serves children facing illness, homelessness, extreme poverty and other obstacles across the tri-state area.
The foundation will receive 205 tickets per home game for Games 3 and 4 on June 8 and 10. If the series extends to a Game 6 on June 16, the total will reach 750 tickets. They will be distributed to underserved New York families affiliated with the foundation.
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New York Knicks fans take to the streets to celebrate reaching NBA Finals
New York Knicks fans celebrate winning the Eastern Conference championship against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks last reached the NBA Finals in 1999, falling to the San Antonio Spurs, and are seeking their first championship since defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in 1973.
(David Dee Delgado, Getty Images)
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New York Knicks fans take to the streets to celebrate reaching NBA Finals
New York Knicks fans celebrate winning the Eastern Conference championship against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks last reached the NBA Finals in 1999, falling to the San Antonio Spurs, and are seeking their first championship since defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in 1973.
(David Dee Delgado, Getty Images)
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New York Knicks fans take to the streets to celebrate reaching NBA Finals
Knicks fans celebrate winning the Eastern Conference championship.
(David Dee Delgado, Getty Images)
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New York Knicks fans take to the streets to celebrate reaching NBA Finals
Knicks fans celebrate winning the Eastern Conference championship.
(David Dee Delgado, Getty Images)
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New York Knicks fans take to the streets to celebrate reaching NBA Finals
Knicks fans celebrate winning the Eastern Conference championship.
(David Dee Delgado, Getty Images)
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New York Knicks fans take to the streets to celebrate reaching NBA Finals
A Knicks fan celebrates winning the Eastern Conference championship against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 25, 2026.
(David Dee Delgado, Getty Images)
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New York Knicks fans take to the streets to celebrate reaching NBA Finals
Knicks fans celebrate winning the Eastern Conference championship.
(David Dee Delgado, Getty Images)
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New York Knicks fans take to the streets to celebrate reaching NBA Finals
A Knicks fan celebrates his team’s sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers with a broom.
(David Dee Delgado, Getty Images)
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New York Knicks fans take to the streets to celebrate reaching NBA Finals
A Knicks fan celebrates winning the Eastern Conference championship.
(David Dee Delgado, Getty Images)
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New York Knicks fans take to the streets to celebrate reaching NBA Finals
Knicks fans celebrate winning the Eastern Conference championship.
(David Dee Delgado, Getty Images)
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New York Knicks fans take to the streets to celebrate reaching NBA Finals
A Knicks fan celebrates winning the Eastern Conference championship.
(David Dee Delgado, Getty Images)
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New York Knicks fans take to the streets to celebrate reaching NBA Finals
Knicks fans celebrate winning the Eastern Conference championship.
(David Dee Delgado, Getty Images)
The Knicks are in the Finals for the first time since 1999, chasing their first championship since 1973. Tickets for the home games have reached Super Bowl-level prices on the secondary market. It makes getting inside the Garden out of reach for most average New Yorkers, let alone those who are dealing with extreme poverty and homelessness.
For kids who could never afford the ticket prices to get through the doors at MSG normally, the Knicks just gave them a chance to see history.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New York Knicks donate hundreds of NBA Finals tickets to kids
