Sportico released the list of the most valuable NBA franchises. The Golden State Warriors topped the list with a valuation of $9.14 billion. They were followed up by the New York Knicks with $8.3 billion, and the Los Angeles Lakers with $8.07 billion. The Brooklyn Nets surprisingly took the fourth spot on the list with $5.7 billion and the Los Angeles Clippers rounded out the top 5 with $5.68 billion.
You can find the top 10 list below:
1. Golden State Warriors - $9.14 billion
2. New York Knicks - $8.3 billion
3. Los Angeles Lakers - $8.07 billion
4. Brooklyn Nets - $5.7 billion
5. Los Angeles Clippers - $5.68 billion
6. Boston Celtics - $5.66 billion
7. Chicago Bulls - $5.56 billion
8. Miami Heat - $5.0 billion
9. Houston Rockets - $4.77 billion
10. Toronto Raptors - $4.66 billion
Sportico also shared the year-on-year increase in the average valuation of NBA franchises. The average valuation of an NBA franchise is now at $4.6 billion, up by $600 million from last year's average valuation of $4 billion. You can find the year-on-year valuation increase from the 2020-21 NBA season till now below.
Average NBA Franchise Valuation:
2020-21 - $2.4 billion
2021-22 - $2.58 billion
2022-23 - $3 billion
2023-24 - $4 billion
2024-25 - $4.6 billion
The biggest jump in average valuation came between the 2022-23 and 2023-24 NBA season, when the average valuation went from $3 billion to $4 billion. Clearly, the jump between last season and this season has slowed down compared to the previous jump, which might be cause for concern for the entire league.
Concerns Regarding NBA Ratings
While this valuation report from Sportico shows that the financial growth of the NBA is trending in a positive direction, the same cannot be said about their television ratings. The NBA's television ratings have been in a steady decline over the last few years. Many people have commented on the matter, as it has become quite alarming to see the numbers fall to where they have.
Most recently, even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the decline in ratings, taking stock of the situation while also explaining some of the factors that have impacted the decline in viewership.
Magic Johnson and Paul Pierce believe that one big reason that the NBA's viewership has dwindled is the lack of genuine rivalries between players and teams. That has led to fans not taking the games seriously enough, and thus tuning out in big numbers. As a result, the viewership is down.
Now, it should be noted that TV viewership is not the same as it used to be years ago. Many more fans opt for streaming services and other alternative options to watch games, many of which are not tracked by Nielsen and other data-collecting organizations. But still, compared to other top sports programming like the NFL, the NBA has been struggling.
What can the NBA do to improve their ratings? That is quite a complicated question to answer, and people within the league office should do their best to answer said questions expeditiously.
