As has become an annual fixture over the past two decades, Forbes Magazine recently released their NBA team valuations for 2018. These valuations take into account a variety of different factors and rank the 30 teams in term of monetary value. Following from Forbes:
Forbes announced today its annual valuations of the National Basketball Association’s 30 teams. The New York Knicks remain in the top spot for the third consecutive year. The team is now worth $3.6 billion, which is a 9% value increase from 2017. The New York Knicks continue to profit from the $1 billion renovation to Madison Square Garden, which produced new revenue opportunities from sponsorships and seating.
The Los Angeles Lakers remain in second place with a value of $3.3 billion, up 10% from 2017. Rounding out the top five are the Golden State Warriors (No. 3), Chicago Bulls (No. 4) and Boston Celtics (No. 5). The Golden State Warriors’ revenue has soared with three straight trips to the NBA Finals and will is expected to grow further with the opening of their new home, Chase Center, in 2019.
Though the top five don’t come with any surprises, it’s worth noting the New York Knicks maintain their firm grasp on the top spot. The Warriors’ exponential growth on and off the court in recent years should only continue to increase, especially if they’re able to take home championship hardware again this season.
Forbes also added that out of the 30 teams, the Warriors, Lakers, and Knicks all earned over $100M and the Cleveland Cavaliers were the only team to lose money in this past calendar year:
The average franchise earned $52 million, a 68% increase, as the league enjoys the new $24 billion TV deal with ESPN and TNT that kicked off during the 2016-17 season. Three teams, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, earned more than $100 million, while the Cleveland Cavaliers (No. 15) was the only franchise to lose money on an operating basis due to its significant payroll and luxury tax bill.
