Warriors, Knicks, Lakers Top Sportico's 2026 List of NBA's Most Valuable Teams

The New York Knicks followed up their 2026 NBA title by leapfrogging the Los Angeles Lakers in Sportico's annual list of the most valuable NBA franchises.

The Knicks' valuation rose by 30 percent over the last year to $12.8 billion, ranking behind only the Golden State Warriors' valuation of $14.5 billion, according to Sportico.

The Lakers ($12.5 billion valuation) join those two franchises as the only NBA teams with valuation in the 11 digits, per Sportico. The franchise could set an NBA record if a pending sale at that valuation is approved.

Only the Dallas Cowboys ($15.5 billion valuation) were listed as a more valuable global sports franchise than the Warriors in Sportico's annual rankings, per Sportico's Kurt Badenhausen.

The valuations are based on team revenue as well as other revenue sources tied to each franchise, including WNBA teams and arena ownership, according to Sportico.

The Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat tied for the NBA lead in one-year value increase with jumps of 33 percent each, per Sportico.

Those two clubs now rank among the top six NBA teams with projected valuations of over $8 billion each, according to Sportico.

The Philadelphia 76ers, which ranked ninth after a year-by-year value increase of 27 percent brought the franchise's valuation to $7.15 billion, could be hoping to see a larger spike after signing LeBron James this offseason.

NBA clubs in the top half of the rankings overall saw their valuations increase by an average of 26 percent over the last year, according to Sportico.

Four teams earned Sportico valuations of $4.5 billion or less in the Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies.

These bottom-four franchises each saw valuation increases of six percent or less over the past year, per Sportico.

Badenhausen noted "revenue for the 2026-27 NBA season might be choppy" because of the ceasing of operations of the company that ran local broadcasts under the name FanDuel Sports Network.

Teams impacted by changes in media right deals could lean on the NBA's revenue-sharing rules, through which top clubs and luxury tax proceeds distribute revenue to the league's less lucrative teams, Badenhausen noted.