Is your favorite NBA team currently headlining the tankathon standings? Are you all about your team having young superstars and some ‘assets’? Well, you might be in luck, because the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers headline the Forbes 2017 Most Valuable NBA franchises list.
In defense of the list, the Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls, and Boston Celtics round out the top five, so there is some championship pedigree leading the way among the NBA’s most valuable franchises.
Following comes from Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes.
The hardwood might as well be paved with gold: The average National Basketball Association franchise is now worth $1.36 billion, a 3.5-fold increase over the last five years. Fueling the gains are the NBA’s $24 billion media deal with ESPN and TNT that kicked off this season, a new collective bargaining agreement ensuring seven years of labor peace and massive international opportunities.
Leading the way are a pair of big-market franchises mired in dysfunction: the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. The pair have lost 68% of their games over the past three-plus seasons, but businesswise it seems that they can do no wrong.
The Lakers are worth $3 billion, up 11%. Last season was the worst in franchise history on the court, but the team still made a mint as fans flocked to the Staples Center to see the Kobe Bryant retirement tour.
The team sold out Staples per usual with courtside seats costing $2,750 per game. Bryant’s final game featured $1.2 million worth of Kobe merchandise sold at the Staples Center, setting a one-day sales record for an arena. The Lakers banked $119 million in profit, second most behind the Knicks.
The Knicks and Lakers have been the NBA’s most valuable teams for nearly two decades (both have held the top spot), but they better watch their backs because another franchise is soaring up the ranks. The value of the Golden State Warriors jumped an NBA-high 37% to $2.6 billion, third place in the league (the Warriors ranked sixth last year).
The Warriors have been on an incredible run since the start of the 2014-15 season, winning 85% of their games. They won an NBA title, made it back to the finals with an NBA-record 73 regular season wins and once again have the best record in the NBA this season after adding four-time scoring champ Kevin Durant in free agency over the summer.
Here is the full list, courtesy of Forbes.
1. New York Knicks ($3.3 billion)
2. Los Angeles Lakers ($3 billion)
3. Golden State Warriors ($2.6 billion)
4. Chicago Bulls ($2.5 billion)
5. Boston Celtics ($2.2 billion)
6. Los Angeles Clippers ($2 billion)
7. Brooklyn Nets ($1.8 billion)
8. Houston Rockets ($1.65 billion)
9. Dallas Mavericks ($1.45 billion)
10. Miami Heat ($1.35 billion)
11. Cleveland Cavaliers ($1.2 billion)
12. San Antonio Spurs ($1.175 billion)
13. Toronto Raptors ($1.125 billion)
14. Phoenix Suns ($1.1 billion)
15. Sacramento Kings ($1.075 billion)
16. Portland Trail Blazers ($1.05 billion)
17. Oklahoma City Thunder ($1.025 billion)
18. Washington Wizards ($1 billion)
19. Orlando Magic ($920 million)
20. Utah Jazz ($910 million)
21. Detroit Pistons ($900 million)
22. Denver Nuggets ($890 million)
23. Atlanta Hawks ($885 million)
24. Indiana Pacers ($880 million)
25. Philadelphia 76ers ($800 million)
26. Memphis Grizzlies ($790 million)
27. Milwaukee Bucks ($785 million)
28. Charlotte Hornets ($780 million)
29. Minnesota Timberwolves ($770 million)
30. New Orleans Pelicans ($750 million)
