Warriors to require 30-year commitment for season tickets

(The Sports Xchange) - The Golden State Warriors are bringing the personal seat license to the NBA, and the fans interested in purchasing them will be asked for a 30-year commitment.

While pricing of the licenses has not been revealed, ESPN cited a team official as saying that the number of seats dedicated for season-ticket holders will decrease from 14,500 at Oracle Arena in Oakland to approximately 12,000 at Chase Center in San Francisco.

The privately financed $1 billion Chase Center is scheduled to open in 2019.

Half of the tickets will come with a per-seat cost of $15,000 or less, while the other half will cost more than that, according to ESPN.

The Warriors, in turn, will return the money paid for the right to purchase tickets after 30 years, thereby creating a personal seat license. The "membership" serves as an interest-free, tax-free loan to the team for three decades.

Fans can transfer or opt out of the license prior to 30 years, but they will not receive their money back until Year 30.

The Toronto Raptors also offer personal seat licenses, although those are for their best seats and also include rights for Maple Leafs tickets as well.

(Editing by Andrew Both)