NBA, which teams are worth the most in 2024

With a’turnout and one record sponsorshipthe 2023-24 season was a standout year for theNbawhich produced approx 13 billion dollars of revenue.

But this number could see a further double-digit jump this season, not counting the agreements with the national media that the league signed in the summer. The new contracts will come into force next season and provide for an annual increase of approximately 4 billion dollars compared to the old agreements.

The unstoppable increase in revenue is causing the value of the league’s 30 franchises to skyrocket, which has reached an average of 4.4 billion dollarsan increase of 15% compared to last year.

According to estimates by Forbesno team would be sold for less than $3 billion and three clubs are worth at least $7 billion: the Golden State Warriors (8.8 billion dollars), i New York Knicks (7.5 billion dollars) e i Los Angeles Lakers (7.1 billion dollars). Only five other teams in any sport – i $7.55 billion New York Yankees e four NFL franchisesled by the Dallas Cowboys by 10.1 billion dollars – currently reach this threshold.

The case of the Clippers

The list of Forbes of 10 years ago was drawn up following the purchase of the Los Angeles Clippers by Steve Ballmer for a value of 2 billion dollarswhich it had been at the time considered by all as a considerable surcharge. Forbes he estimated the value of the Clippers in January 2015 a 1.6 billion dollars with a turnover of 146 million dollars.

Having spent the last 25 years in what is now known as Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles – effectively becoming the building’s third tenant, after the Lakers and the NHL’s Kings – it is expected that Clippers will see a massive surge in seating and sponsorship revenue, starting with the building’s naming rights deal, which will last 23 years and cost 500 million dollars.

According to estimates by Forbesthis average of 21.7 million dollars per year is more than more 7 million dollars than any other NBA team took in from arena naming rights last season.

The economic impact of NBA arenas

Many other NBA teams are also banking on new or renovated arenas, and the increased revenues that tend to come with them. The Scotiabank Arena of the Toronto Raptorsfor example, is in the middle of a modernization and 350 million dollarsWhile Oklahoma City he approved more financing 800 million dollars for a new Thunder headquarters. Last week, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said presented the financing agreement for the redevelopment of the Capital One Arena dei Wizards.

For an extreme example of the impact a new arena can have, think about the Warriorsthe NBA’s most valuable team for the third consecutive year, who in 2018-19, their last year at Oracle Arena in Oakland, reported local revenue of approximately 440 million dollars.

Last season, Golden State has accumulated more than 700 million dollars of local revenue at its new home, the Chase Center in San Francisco. The club’s total revenues, including those from the central league and net of arena debt service and revenue sharing, will reach 800 million dollars in 2023-24. Only four other teams in the world – Dallas Cowboys, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Barcelona – have reached this milestone.

The growth of the NBA

However, the growth extends to the entire league. The NBA recently renewed theagreement with Nike for the purchase of uniforms and clothing and has added partners in several categories, including wine Kendall-Jackson and shapewear Skims.

The league’s credit is also solid – rating agency Fitch Ratings this year confirmed the A- rating on the NBA’s outstanding debt instruments – and the entry of private equity and other institutional investors, which began in 2020, offers a path to greater liquidity for current team owners. Additionally, the NBA is growing even faster internationally than domestically.

Media agreements

But the biggest financial driver of the league is represented by the new media agreements with ABC/ESPN, NBC/Peacock and Amazon Prime Video for a declared value of 76 billion dollars in 11 years, i.e. an average annual value of 6.9 billion dollarscompared to 2.6 billion dollars of current national deals with ESPN and Turner Sports, more about 500 million dollars from a number of international rights distributors.

Many in the sports media world had predicted that NBA rights would double in value, an optimism reflected in the teams’ rising revenue multiples, but the final deal exceeded expectations. This national and international advantage is helping to overcome uncertainty about the future of local media rightsfollowing the regional sports network operator’s bankruptcy filing in 2023 Diamond Sports Group.

How far can the value of an NBA team go? THE Boston Celtics they may soon provide an answer. In July, two weeks after the team won the championship, the ownership group announced it would seek to sell a majority stake, and the principal owner Wyck Grousbeck he recently declared to the Boston Globe that the process was “preparing”.

Sports bankers agree that some legitimate concerns – perhaps most notably Grousbeck’s desire to retain control until 2028 – could cause initial offers to start at just over 5 billion dollars. But ultimately, the Celtics’ legacy and global brand recognition, coupled with the general dearth of controlling stakes in NBA teams, could push the price higher. 6 billion dollars or more.

The 10 most valuable teams in the NBA

1. 8.8 billion dollars – Golden State Warriors
One-year change: 14% | Operating income: $142 million | Owners: Joe Lacob, Peter Guber

2. 7.5 billion dollars – New York Knicks
One-year change: 14% | Operating income: $182 million | Owner: Madison Square Garden Sports

3. 7.1 billion dollars – Los Angeles Lakers
One-year change: 11% | Operating income: $199 million | Owners: Jerry Buss Family Trust, Mark Walter, Todd Boehly

4. 6 billion dollars – Boston Celtics
One-year change: 28% | Operating income: $121 million | Owners: Wycliffe Grousbeck, Irving Grousbeck, Stephen Pagliuca, Robert Epstein

5. 5.5 billion dollars – Los Angeles Clippers
One-year change: 18% | Operating loss: $96 million | Owner: Steve Ballmer

6. 5 billion dollars – Chicago Bulls
Annual change: 9% | Operating income: $140 million | Owner: Jerry Reinsdorf

7. 4.9 billion dollars – Houston Rockets
Annual change: 11% | Operating income: $160 million | Owner: Tilman Fertitta

8. 4.8 billion dollars – Brooklyn Nets
One year change: 25% | Operating income: $43 million | Owners: Joseph Tsai, Koch Family

9. 4.7 billion dollars – Dallas Mavericks
Annual change: 4% | Operating income: $158 million | Owners: Adelson Family, Mark Cuban

10. 4.6 billion dollars – Philadelphia 76ers
One-year change: 7% | Operating income: $120 million | Owners: Josh Harris, David Blitzer

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