Over the past few decades, the NBA has been bubbling into one of the most popular sports leagues in the entire world. Athletes like LeBron James and Steph Curry are international superstars, all while teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, and Boston Celtics, are household names all around the world. As a result, many of these teams are worth billions of dollars, and their valuations continue to increase, regardless of the product on the court.
Recently, Forbes put out its annual list of most valuable teams, and some of the names here shouldn't surprise anyone. As it stands, the New York Knicks are the most valuable team in the league at $5 billion, while the Warriors come in second at $4.7 billion. From there, the Lakers are third ($4.6 billion), all while the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics are fourth and fifth at $3.3 billion and $3.2 billion, respectively. Despite the Knicks' poor results, Forbes explained while the evaluation is so high.
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Per Kurt Badenhausen:
"The Knicks have lost nearly 70 percent of their games over the past six seasons and won only one playoff series since 2000 and have still managed to retain the No. 1 spot. The team's valuation is largely a result of the $1 billion renovation of MSG, a blockbuster local TV deal and the team's place in the largest and richest North American sports market."
Teams that have new arenas like the Golden State Warriors have been able to increase their worth, although for now, it seems like the Knicks will remain at the top thanks to their market, and newly renovated home as Madison Square Garden. All of the teams in the top 5 have a ton of history, and we doubt the order will flip, anytime soon.
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[Via]
