This article investigates the relationship between the star effect and match attendance in the National Basketball Association for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 seasons. We include five different definitions of star players, measures of short-run league-level competitive balance, and game uncertainty for two rivals in a Tobit regression model. The evidence shows that the appearance of stars increases home and road game attendance. A positive star externality on game attendance is found.
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