The average National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise is now worth US$4.66 billion, according to CNBC Sport’s new rankings, with the Golden State Warriors leading the way at US$9.4 billion.
The Warriors’ standing as the NBA’s most valuable team was helped by generating revenue of US$781 million during the 2023/24 campaign, which was the highest in the league. CNBC also noted that the Warriors own their home arena, San Francisco’s Chase Center, which means they earn revenue from non-NBA events. In addition, the franchise pulled in nearly US$200 million in sponsorship revenue last season, nearly double that of any other NBA team, according to CNBC.
The report from CNBC also showed that the value of the Warriors has increased at a 24 per cent compound annual growth rate since Joe Lacob and Peter Guber paid US$450 million for the team in 2010.
More broadly, CNBC cited the increase in the league’s domestic media rights for the rising NBA valuations. The league’s 11-year, US$76 billion contracts with Amazon, Disney and NBC from 2025 were signed off in July and kick in from 2025/26.
CNBC is one of several outlets to value NBA franchises. The Warriors were deemed the most valuable team by Forbes and Sportico with a valuation of US$8.8 billion and US$9.14 billion, respectively. Forbes’ latest rankings pegged the average NBA team to be worth US$4.4 billion, while Sportico had it as US$4.6 billion.
The Warriors return to action after the NBA All-Star Weekend against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on 21st February.
