Five years ago, Forbes named the Knicks the NBA’s most valuable team, appraising them at $655 million.
Now, that would barely top the last-place Pelicans.
Forbes released its latest valuations of NBA teams today, and the Knicks ($3 billion) overtook the Lakers ($2.7 billion) for the top spot. But, really, everyone wins – if you own a team.
Thanks to a healthier national economy, a Collective Bargaining Agreement that gives owners a larger share of the revenue and new national TV contracts, the value of NBA teams is skyrocketing.
Nearly half the league – 13 of 30 teams – is valued at at least $1 billion. Forbes has struggled to keep up with the soaring price of NBA teams, and most that have sold recently have gone for more than Forbes projected. I wouldn’t be surprised if an actual majority of teams could fetch $1 billion on the open market.
Here are the full rankings:
| RK | Team | Value |
| 1 | NYK | $3 billion |
| 2 | LAL | $2.7 billion |
| 3 | CHI | $2.3 billion |
| 4 | BOS | $2.1 billion |
| 5 | LAC | $2 billion |
| 6 | GSW | $1.9 billion |
| 7 | BRK | $1.7 billion |
| 8 | HOU | $1.5 billion |
| 9 | DAL | $1.4 billion |
| 10 | MIA | $1.3 billion |
| 11 | SAS | $1.15 billion |
| 12 | CLE | $1.1 billion |
| 13 | PHO | $1 billion |
| 14 | TOR | $980 million |
| 15 | POR | $975 million |
| 16 | WAS | $960 million |
| 17 | OKC | $950 million |
| 18 | SAC | $925 million |
| 19 | ORL | $900 million |
| 20 | UTA | $875 million |
| 21 | DEN | $855 million |
| 22 | DET | $850 million |
| 23 | IND | $840 million |
| 24 | ATL | $825 million |
| 25 | MEM | $780 million |
| 26 | CHA | $750 million |
| 27 | MIN | $720 million |
| 28 | PHI | $700 million |
| 29 | MIL | $675 million |
| 30 | NOP | $650 million |
It’s important to remember these figures are only estimates based on limited external data. But they’re the best numbers we have and a pretty decent baseline.
You can bet the players union will look at this trend of surging team values during CBA negotiations. If any owners complain about not turning enough profit -- a gripe in past negotiations, though not one brought up lately -- most have a simple solution: Sell and recoup millions – maybe even billions – more than you paid for it.
