The Warriors remain the NBA’s most valuable team, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico (subscription required), who unveiled the website’s updated NBA franchise valuations for 2023 on Wednesday.
Badenhausen projects the Warriors’ value at $8.28 billion, making them one of three teams to surpass the $7 billion mark this year. The Knicks have a projected worth of $7.43 billion, while the Lakers come in at $7.34 billion, per Sportico.
As Badenhausen details, Sportico spoke to more than 30 team executives, owners, investors, bankers, consultants, and lawyers in compiling their latest NBA franchise valuations. According to Sportico, the average value of an NBA team is up 33% from a year ago and 70% from when the site first started publishing valuations three years ago.
A combination of factors are contributing to the soaring value of NBA franchises, says Baudenhausen. Those factors include national media deals, international opportunities, scarcity (ie. only 30 teams are available), and an equal 1/30th stake in the league.
In the past, we’ve used Forbes as our primary source for NBA franchise valuations, but with Badenhausen making the move from Forbes to Sportico in recent years and the outlet establishing itself as a go-to resource for sports business news, we’re highlighting Sportico’s projections in 2023.
Of course, it’s worth noting that figures from Sportico, Forbes, or any other media outlet are just estimates and often don’t quite match up with the sale prices for franchises that change hands. But thse projections are usually in the right ballpark and remain useful for getting a sense of the league’s most and least valuable teams.
Here’s Sportico’s full list of NBA franchise valuations for 2023:
- Golden State Warriors: $8.28 billion
- New York Knicks: $7.43 billion
- Los Angeles Lakers: $7.34 billion
- Boston Celtics: $5.12 billion
- Chicago Bulls: $4.83 billion
- Los Angeles Clippers: $4.56 billion
- Miami Heat: $4.17 billion
- Philadelphia 76ers: $4.13 billion
- Toronto Raptors: $4.11 billion
- Houston Rockets: $4.05 billion
- Dallas Mavericks: $4.03 billion
- Phoenix Suns: $4 billion
- Brooklyn Nets: $3.98 billion
- Sacramento Kings: $3.46 billion
- Denver Nuggets: $3.4 billion
- Atlanta Hawks: $3.35 billion
- Washington Wizards: $3.33 billion
- San Antonio Spurs: $3.29 billion
- Portland Trail Blazers: $3.28 billion
- Indiana Pacers: $3.27 billion
- Utah Jazz: $3.24 billion
- Cleveland Cavaliers: $3.22 billion
- Milwaukee Bucks: $3.2 billion
- Orlando Magic: $3.12 billion
- Detroit Pistons: $3.1 billion
- Oklahoma City Thunder: $3.08 billion
- Charlotte Hornets: $3 billion
- Minnesota Timberwolves: $2.94 billion
- Memphis Grizzlies: $2.82 billion
- New Orleans Pelicans: $2.72 billion
For the most part, the most significant valuation increases (by percentage) within the last year belonged to the teams on the bottom half of this list. Besides the Bucks, whose projection rose by 32%, every franchise in the bottom 10 received at least a 50% bump from Sportico’s 2022 valuations.
The Nuggets, who cracked the top half of this list following their 2023 championship, were another big riser — their valuation increased by 60% and they moved up six spots.
It’s worth noting that the Mavericks‘ reported valuation in Mark Cuban‘s sale to the Adelson and Dumont families reportedly came in around $3.5 billion, well below Sportico’s valuation.
However, more recent reporting has suggested the final valuation will be closer to $4 billion when the transaction closes. That was also a unique situation since Cuban is retaining control of basketball operations as part of the sale agreement, despite surrendering majority control of the business. He’ll hang onto about 25% of the franchise, according to Sportico.
Warriors above $8B wow. I imagined maybe $6B. Wow
Toronto at 9 is surprising. Would’ve never thought it.
Only team in an entire nation… if they put a team in Mexico it would have the same effect
Man, it feels like only yesterday that people were amazed at the amount of money Steve Ballmer put up to buy the Clippers ($2 billion). Even knowing these figures are estimates, he’s likely more than doubled his investment in less than a decade.
Bulls are still only worth that much because of Jordan. I know Chicago is a wealthy city but that team is awful. Outside of a few Rose seasons, they’ve been irrelevant since Jordan retired. The pistons have a more recent title than the bulls do, but they’ve been awful for so long their value isn’t there.
Like it or not (because of Jordan) the Bulls are one of the most known / bankable sports teams world wide… up there with teams like FC Barcelona, the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys, etc etc etc… it’s about branding not wins (which is why the warriors make no damn sense to me lol)
This is the first time I can remember not seeing the Grizz in last place on this list…
I don’t get these evaluations.. at all. Unless MSG is included with the Knicks.. the franchise SUCKS … the Warriors are insanely inflated because of recent success.. and the Lakers just get credit for being the Lakers? Teams that should be at the top are franchises with established fan bases, longevity success, and world wide popularity…. those are teams like the Heat, Bulls, Spurs, and maybe the Lakers….. the entire thing feels like one guy’s opinion and it makes billions for people…. sigh
The Knicks are a major sports franchise in the largest city in the US. Their brand is iconic and they’re an original team. They could suck for a hundred years and still be one of the most valuable franchises in the league.
Reading the rest of your post, it’s like you don’t understand basketball or business. ‘maybe the Lakers’ should be one of the most valuable? Man, you don’t have a clue. The Spurs have ‘world wide [sic] popularity’? lol.
the franchise has had 1 title in almost 70 years of existence.. it constantly fails at everything it does… being in New York doesn’t make you special.. ask the Nets
and yes.. the spurs (and rockets to a less extent now) have MASSIVE world wide popularity.. who do you think the most iconic team in south america is? How about france?…. the Heat are the most popular team in China and Japan… the Lakers are popular everywhere I’ll give you that.. but you really don’t get the global impacts… the Mavs are massive in europe too.
The Bulls and Knicks both are clown shows, but their worth is very telling as to why they do not improve, they really do not need to, as their owners are still making bigtime book.
The so called #4 Boston Celtics, are still, the greatest all time franchise, in NBA history, despite El Lakers and the NBA, trying to count those silly titles won in Minneapolis. They never counted those bogus titles, until they got close to the Boston Celtics, who won all of our titles, in ONE city, until it became evident, to those bridesmaids, that they actually could count those ridiculous titles, to maybe pass the Celtics. But we all can see, who the FAR better franchise still is, with the best record in the NBA, the Boston Celtics. Not El Lakers. Boston will win it all this year, and several more years, before the carpet baggers from LA, ever will. Unless, of course, Adam Silver, and the NBA League Office, intervenes, and saves their Sons, Los Lakers, from winning more totally, undeserved championships. And do not discount that. Just ask the Steelers. and Red Sox, all about this.