Foul play: N.Y. Gov. Hochul blasts Spurs and Ticketmaster for blocking Knicks fans from Finals

U.S. newsFoul play: N.Y. Gov. Hochul blasts Spurs and Ticketmaster for blocking Knicks fans from FinalsThe restrictions prevent people who live more than 150 miles from San Antonio from buying tickets to Game 5 of the NBA Finals.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Knicks fans at a watch party in New York's Bryant Park during Game 3 of the NBA Finals last week.Adam Gray / Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJune 13, 2026, 4:10 PM EDTBy Matt LavietesShe felt spurred to act.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.New York Gov. Kathy Hochul slammed Ticketmaster and the San Antonio Spurs for barring fans who live outside the San Antonio area from purchasing tickets to Game 5 of the NBA Finals.“Knicks fans finally get within one game of a championship and their reward is having their tickets canceled?” Hochul wrote in a post on X. “Thousands of New Yorkers bought tickets, booked flights, and made plans in good faith.”“Ticketmaster and the Spurs should reverse this decision and let the fans who bought those seats keep them. Until then, on behalf of Knicks fans everywhere, I’m calling foul,” she added.But Ticketmaster said the policy applies only to new ticket orders and that fans who already bought tickets should still be able to attend.In a statement on its website, Ticketmaster said sales for the game “will be restricted to customers residing within a 150-mile radius” of San Antonio, home to the Spurs and the host of Game 5 on Saturday night. New orders from outside that radius will be “canceled without notice and refunds issued.”“If fans are purchasing tickets on Ticketmaster, they can be confident that they’re getting a real, authenticated ticket that will get them into tonight’s game,” the company said.The Spurs said that the geographical restrictions “introduced during the Playoffs remains in place throughout the NBA Finals,” adding that the policy allows the team to prioritize “local...