Combining for $23.4 billion, Lakers, Warriors, and Knicks make Top 10 of most-valuable sports teams

The Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks topped the list of the most valuable NBA franchises according to Forbes.

Combining for $23.4 billion, Lakers, Warriors, and Knicks make Top 10 of most-valuable sports teams

LeBron James and Steph Curry have grown from rivals to friends

The Boston Celtics may be the reigning NBA champions, but their value lags behind three franchises that continue to dominate the league’s financial landscape. According to the latest valuation, the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Lakers are the three most valuable NBA teams, combining for an astonishing $23.4 billion in worth.

The latest valuation from Forbes revealed the most valuable teams in sports around the world. The Warriors lead the pack at $8.8 billion, driven by their six Finals appearances and four titles since 2015. The New York Knicks follow at $7.5 billion, propelled by their historical significance and recent playoff resurgence. Meanwhile, the Lakers, valued at $7.1 billion, owe much of their worth to their storied legacy and marquee players like LeBron James.

Despite their middling early-season records, the Warriors, the Knicks, and the Lakers remain central to the NBA’s global appeal, no matter their day-to-day performance. The Warriors were only second to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, who remained atop the sports world for the 9th straight year with a net worth of nearly $10.1 billion.

The Warriors’ dominance stems in part from the Chase Center, which opened in 2019 and serves as a modern, high-revenue venue in the lucrative Bay Area. Similarly, the Knicks and Lakers both reap the benefits of playing at marquee venues like the Madison Square Garden and the Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center), which drives high ticket sales no matter who the teams are taking on.

NBA Cup viewership plummets amidst Warriors, Knicks upsets

While teams like the Warriors, Lakers, and Knicks continue to thrive financially, their absence from this year’s NBA Cup has coincided with a dramatic drop in viewership and ticket sales. The semifinals and finals, set to take place in Las Vegas, feature the Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Houston Rockets this week, promising quite the matchup.

Ticket prices for the Bucks-Hawks semifinal start at just $29, a sharp decline from last year’s inaugural tournament, where semifinal tickets between the Lakers and Pelicans started at $150. Unfortunately for the NBA, this stark contrast only goes to show the dependence of the league on legacy franchises like the Lakers, Knicks, and Warriors to drive viewership as the league struggles to keep pace.

The NBA Cup was introduced by the league to drive viewership through the middle phases of the season. Last year’s tournament featured the Lakers, whose run to the championship electrified fans. Without similar star power, this year’s NBA Cup has struggled to capture the same level of attention, perhaps due to the Boston Celtics.

As the league evaluates the long-term viability of the NBA Cup, lessons from this year’s tournament will likely inform strategies to ensure sustained interest.