Warriors, Knicks, Lakers, Celtics Top Forbes' 2024 List of Most Valuable NBA Teams
The Boston Celtics reached the NBA's mountaintop last season and entered the 2024-25 campaign as the reigning champions, but they are still looking up at three other teams in the race to be the most valuable franchise in the league.
Forbes released its list of the most valuable NBA franchises Thursday, and the Golden State Warriors topped the list at $8.8 billion.
They are followed by the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Celtics and L.A. Clippers in the top five:
Most Valuable NBA Franchises for 2024-25
- Golden State Warriors, $8.8 billion
- New York Knicks, $7.5 billion
- Los Angeles Lakers, $7.1 billion
- Boston Celtics, $6 billion
- Los Angeles Clippers, $5.5 billion
- Chicago Bulls, $5 billion
- Houston Rockets, $4.9 billion
- Brooklyn Nets, $4.8 billion
- Dallas Mavericks, $4.7 billion
- Philadelphia 76ers, $4.6 billion
The latest report from Forbes was largely excellent news for the NBA, as the average value of the 30 franchises is up 15 percent from last year at $4.4 billion. What's more, three teams are worth at least $7 billion.
According to Forbes' metrics, only the New York Yankees from Major League Baseball and four teams from the NFL (Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots and New York Giants) can claim to be worth at least $7 billion.
The NBA's media rights deals are the primary driving force behind the increase in value for so many franchises.
As for the Warriors, this marks the third straight season they topped the list as the NBA's most valuable team.
It surely helps playing in the Bay Area at the relatively new Chase Center, which has been the team's home since the 2019-20 season. The team is also quite popular after winning four championships and reaching the NBA Finals six times from 2015 through 2022.
Stephen Curry is one of the faces of the league, and Golden State will likely remain among the NBA's most popular teams as long as he is suiting up and launching three-pointers.
The valuation report is of particular note around the NBA at this time considering the Celtics are currently for sale. As one of the most iconic franchises in all of sports in the middle of a wide-open championship window with stars such as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the team is surely going to sell for a head-turning price.
"The sale process is gearing up and about to hit full speed," Celtics lead governor Wyc Grousbeck told Adam Himmelsback of The Boston Globe earlier this month.
"It took this long for our advisors to go through the financial and business data of the team and our whole management team, and spend enough time to put together offering books. Now they're beginning to have discussions with interested parties and the bidding process will commence in the next month or so."
Other teams will surely be keeping an eye on the proceedings, as a massive sale could drive up franchise values across the league.
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