The average NBA team is now worth $2.1 billion
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
The average NBA franchise is now valued at $2.12 billion, per Forbes — a figure that has grown 476% in the past decade.
Why it matters: Thanks to the NBA's international growth and the $24 billion TV deal it signed with ESPN and Turner in 2014, team values have grown at a much faster rate than the other three major U.S. sports leagues.
- NBA: 476% growth
- MLB: 262% growth
- NHL: 192% growth
- NFL: 179% growth
Most valuable teams: The Knicks ($4.6 billion) grabbed the top spot for the fifth straight year, followed by the Lakers ($4.4 billion) and Warriors ($4.3 billion). Among all American sports, only the Cowboys ($5.5 billion) and Yankees ($4.6 billion) can rival them.
- Filling out the top 10: Bulls ($3.2 billion), Celtics ($3.1 billion), Clippers ($2.6 billion), Nets ($2.5 billion), Rockets ($2.48 billion), Mavericks ($2.4 billion) and Raptors ($2.1 billion).
- The bottom five: Only five teams are valued at less than $1.5 billion: Pistons ($1.45 billion), Magic ($1.43 billion), Timberwolves ($1.38 billion), Pelicans ($1.4 billion) and Grizzlies ($1.3 billion).
Wild stat: In 1999, the Warriors were the seventh-least valuable NBA franchise and the Clippers ranked dead last. Two decades later, they are now the third- and sixth-most valuable NBA franchises, respectively.
Go deeper: The NBA's engagement problem
