Forbes has once again crunched the numbers to determine the most valuable NBA teams of 2021. Much to everyone’s surprise, the New York Knicks have come out on top for the seventh consecutive year – despite living out an equally lengthy, if not lengthier, dynasty of lacklustre on-court performance.
With legendary player turned coaching extraordinaire Steve Kerr, marketing dream Steph Curry, and the ever-dominant Draymond Green, during the 2020-21 season, the Golden State Warriors managed to become the first team since the 1999 Chicago Bulls to “break the chokehold” long maintained by the Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers; two teams which have perenially occupied the #1 and #2 spot in tandem. Clearly, this was no fluke, as GSW once again finds itself ranked second.
In light of the New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, and Los Angeles Lakers’ revised valuations, this marks another milestone in NBA history, wherein three franchises are worth over $5 billion (USD).
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“Revenue and operating income (EBITDA) are for the 2020-21 season and are net of revenue sharing and arena debt service,” Forbes explains in the methodology section of its most valuable NBA teams rankings for 2021.
“We use revenue multiples to calculate our team values (equity plus net debt) based on the economics of each team’s current arena deal. If a team has a new arena, media deal, or sponsorship agreement set to open or kick in after the 2020-21 season, we estimate its impact on the enterprise value. For example, the value of the Los Angeles Clippers is $3.3 billion – 20% more than in our NBA valuations in February – in part because the team has broken ground on a new arena that is expected to significantly increase the team’s revenue.”
“Our figures include revenue that team owners get from non-NBA events at their arena. All figures are in US dollars based on the average US-Canada exchange rates during the 2020-21 season. The information used to compile our valuations primarily came from the teams, sports bankers, media consultants, and public documents, like arena lease agreements and bond documents.”
Check out the most valuable NBA teams for 2021 below.
The Most Valuable NBA Teams For 2021 (According To Forbes)
**All figures converted to USD
1. New York Knicks
Value: $5.8 billion
One-Year Change: 16%
Operating Income: $71 million
Owner: Madison Square Garden Sports
2. Golden State Warriors
Value: $5.6 billion
One-Year Change: 19%
Operating Income: -$44 million
Owner: Joe Lacob, Peter Gruber
3. Los Angeles Lakers
Value: $5.5 billion
One-Year Change: 20%
Operating Income: $63 million
Owner: Jerry Buss Family Trusts, Mark Walter, Todd Boehly
4. Chicago Bulls
Value: $3.65 billion
One-Year Change: 11%
Operating Income: $39 million
Owner: Jerry Reinsdorf
5. Boston Celtics
Value: $3.55 billion
One-Year Change: 11%
Operating Income: $46 million
Owner: Wycliffe & Irving Grousebeck, Robert Epstein, Stephen Pagliuca
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6. Los Angeles Clippers
Value: $3.3 billion
One-Year Change: 20%
Operating Income: $18 million
Owner: Steve Ballmer
7. Brooklyn Nets
Value: $3.2 billion
One-Year Change: 21%
Operating Income: -$80 million
Owner: Joseph Tsai
8. Houston Rockets
Value: $2.75 billion
One-Year Change: 10%
Operating Income: $33 million
Owner: Tilman Fertitta
9. Dallas Mavericks
Value: $2.7 billion
One-Year Change: 10%
Operating Income: $55 million
Owner: Mark Cuban
10. Toronto Raptors
Value: $2.48 billion
One-Year Change: 15%
Operating Income: $2 million
Owner: Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, Larry Tanenbaum
11. Philadelphia 76ers
Value: $2.45 billion
One-Year Change: 18%
Operating Income: $13 million
Owner: Joshua Harris, David Blitzer
12. Miami Heat
Value: $2.3 billion
One-Year Change: 15%
Operating Income: $16 million
Owner: Micky Arison
13. Portland Trail Blazers
Value: $2.05 billion
One-Year Change: 8%
Operating Income: $19 million
Owner: Paul G. Allen Trust
14. Sacramento Kings
Value: $2 billion
One-Year Change: 10%
Operating Income: $22 million
Owner: Vivek Ranadive
15. San Antonio Spurs
Value: $1.98 billion
One-Year Change: 7%
Operating Income: $39 million
Owner: Holt Family, Sixth Street Partners
16. Washington Wizards
Value: $1.93 billion
One-Year Change: 7%
Operating Income: $14 million
Owner: Ted Leonsis
17. Milwaukee Bucks
Value: $1.9 billion
One-Year Change: 17%
Operating Income: $11 million
Owner: Wes Edens, Marc Lasry, Jamie Dinan
18. Phoenix Suns
Value: $1.8 billion
One-Year Change: 6%
Operating Income: $15 million
Owner: Robert Sarver
19. Utah Jazz
Value: $1.75 billion
One-Year Change: 5%
Operating Income: $96 million
Owner: Ryan & Ashley Smith
20. Denver Nuggets
Value: $1.73 billion
One-Year Change: 5%
Operating Income: $15 million
Owner: Stan Kroenke
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21. Atlanta Hawks
Value: $1.68 billion
One-Year Change: 11%
Operating Income: $37 million
Owner: Tony Ressler
22. Indiana Pacers
Value: $1.67 billion
One-Year Change: 8%
Operating Income: $460,000
Owner: Herbert Simon, Stephen Simon
23. Cleveland Cavaliers
Value: $1.65 billion
One-Year Change: 6%
Operating Income: $11 million
Owner: Dan Gilbert
24. Orlando Magic
Value: $1.64 billion
One-Year Change: 12%
Operating Income: $29 million
Owner: DeVos Family
25. Oklahoma City Thunder
Value: $1.63 billion
One-Year Change: 3%
Operating Income: $48 million
Owner: Clayton Bennett, George Kaiser, Aubrey McClendon estate
26. Detroit Pistons
Value: $1.58 billion
One-Year Change: 9%
Operating Income: $43 million
Owner: Tom Gores
27. Charlotte Hornets
Value: $1.575 billion
One-Year Change: 5%
Operating Income: $34 million
Owner: Michael Jordan
28. Minnesota Timberwolves
Value: $1.55 billion
One-Year Change: 11%
Operating Income: $29 million
Owner: Glen Taylor, Marc Lore, Alex Rodriguez
29. New Orleans Pelicans
Value: $1.53 billion
One-Year Change: 13%
Operating Income: $24 million
Owner: Gayle Benson
30. Memphis Grizzlies
Value: $1.5 billion
One-Year Change: 15%
Operating Income: $12 million
Owner: Robert Pera
Source: Forbes
