The Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Lakers dominate the NBA’s franchise value rankings, with the Warriors leading at an impressive $9.14 billion, according to Sportico’s annual report released Wednesday.
The Knicks and Lakers follow at $8.3 billion and $8.07 billion, respectively. The Warriors are now the second most valuable sports franchise in the U.S., trailing only the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, valued at $10.3 billion.
NBA Franchise Values Soar
The average NBA team is now worth $4.6 billion, marking a 15% increase from last year and nearly double the average value from four years ago. The increase reflects growing revenues from media rights, merchandise, and expanding team-affiliated ventures, including WNBA franchises and venue ownership.
The Warriors, who will debut an affiliated WNBA expansion team next year, saw their value rise by 10% in 2024. The Knicks and Lakers experienced similar growth at 12% and 10%, respectively.
Fast Risers and Top 10 Franchises
The Brooklyn Nets had the most notable leap, with their value skyrocketing 43% to $5.7 billion, thanks largely to the world-class Barclays Center, ranked the globe’s highest-grossing arena as of April.
Other top 10 franchises include:
- Los Angeles Clippers: $5.68 billion
- Boston Celtics: $5.66 billion
- Chicago Bulls: $5.56 billion
- Miami Heat: $5 billion
- Houston Rockets: $4.77 billion
- Toronto Raptors: $4.66 billion
Lower-End Franchises
At the other end of the spectrum, the bottom three franchises are:
- Minnesota Timberwolves: $3.29 billion
- New Orleans Pelicans: $3.09 billion
- Memphis Grizzlies: $3.06 billion
NBA’s Market Position
NBA teams boast the highest value-to-revenue ratio among major U.S. sports leagues. Following the NBA in this metric are MLS, the NFL, the NHL, the WNBA, the NWSL, and MLB.
The continued rise in franchise values underscores the NBA’s growing global appeal and its strength as a media and entertainment powerhouse.