The Most Valuable NBA Teams, Ranked

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• Toronto Raptors

• Philadelphia 76ers

• Houston Rockets

• Dallas Mavericks

• Chicago Bulls

• Los Angeles Clippers

• Boston Celtics

• Los Angeles Lakers

• New York Knicks

• Golden State Warriors

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has grown to become one of the major professional sports leagues in North America since its inception in 1946.

The league has experienced tremendous growth both domestically and abroad, attracting over 400 million fans worldwide. The franchises in the NBA make money through various streams, such as sponsorships, ticket sales, and merchandise sales.

During the 2022/2023 season, the average revenue per franchise in the NBA was estimated at $353 million. The value of a franchise is determined by factors such as its market size, brand equity, revenue, profitability, team success, and franchise sales comparison.

The ten most valuable teams in the NBA have consistently shown their ability to draw fans and lock in profitable sponsorship deals while expanding their market size.

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10 Toronto Raptors

$4.1 Billion

The Toronto Raptors are the only Canadian-based NBA franchise in the NBA.

In 2019, the Raptors, led by Kawhi Leonard, won the first NBA championship in their history, which led to a surge in popularity, especially in the city of Toronto. The team has a combined total of over five million fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter.

The franchise plays its home games at the 19,000-seater Scotiabank Arena. The Raptors are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, with Nigerian-Canadian former basketball player Masai Ujiri serving as the president of basketball operations.

The Raptors' sponsors include Scotiabank, Bell Canada, and TSN. In the seasons following their championship triumph, the franchise has continuously witnessed expansion in their market value; in the 2021/2022 season, the team generated revenue of around $299 million.

9 Philadelphia 76ers

$4.3 Billion

The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the most historic franchises in the league.

The 76ers have won the NBA championship three times in their history. The "Sixers" currently play their home games at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

As the only NBA team in Philadelphia, the team has a massive following in the state; during the 2021/22 NBA season, the average regular season home attendance for a Sixers game was 20,655 per game, and total attendance for that season amounted to 846,867.

The team is owned by private equity investor Joshua Morris, who acquired the franchise in 2011 for a purchase price of $287 million through his agency, Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment.

Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Crypto.com teamed up with the Philadelphia 76ers in September 2021 to serve as the team's jersey patch sponsor. Philadelphia 76ers are also in partnership with sports nutrition BioSteel, Kia Motors, and Hennessy.

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8 Houston Rockets

$4.4 Billion

The franchise value of the Houston Rockets amounted to $4.4 billion dollars in 2023.

This denoted an increase of around 38 percent over the previous year. The Houston Rockets were established as the San Diego Rockets in 1967, and have two NBA championships to their names.

The team plays its home games at the Toyota Center, located in Downtown Houston. In the 2022/2023 season, the franchise's average game attendance stood at 16,313, and total attendance for the season amounted to 668,865.

The Houston Rockets' revenue reached $381 million in the 2022/23 season, representing an increase of about nine percent over the previous season. The franchise was purchased by Houston restaurant billionaire Tilman Fertitta for $2.2 billion in 2017, breaking the record for the price to acquire an American professional sports team.

The team's operating cost as of 2023 is $125 million, among the highest in the league.

7 Dallas Mavericks

$4.5 Billion

The Mavs have established themselves as a respected franchise in the NBA, winning their first and only NBA championship in 2011.

The Dallas Mavericks franchise was founded by Don Carter in 1980 for an expansion fee of $12.5 million; the team has since grown to a franchise value of $4.5 million and is currently owned by American billionaire and investor Mark Cuban, who purchased the team for $280 million in 2000.

The Mavericks play their home games at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The team's average attendance stood at 20,177 during the 2022/2023 regular season, totaling 827,282.

In 2022/2023, the Mavs generated $429 million in revenue, an 18 percent increase over the previous season. The franchise partners with several global brands like AT&T, Coca-Cola, Bacardi, and Chick-fil-A.

6 Chicago Bulls

$4.6 Billion

The Chicago Bulls basked in a prolonged era of euphoria in the 1990s. The dynasty led by Hall of Famer Michael Jordan three-peated the NBA championship twice, winning the title six times in seven years.

"Three-peat" refers to three consecutive wins in a championship or tournament. The phrase "hat trick" has a similar meaning in sports.

During this era, the Bulls played a significant part in bringing the NBA to a worldwide audience – and boosting their market value while they were at it. The franchise is the Illinois-based team in the league and, as such, has a massive local fan base.

In 2022/23, the regular season home attendance of the franchise was 841,632, with an average of 20,527 attendees per game. In the 2021/2022 season, the Bulls reported a revenue of $372 million, exceeding the league's average franchise revenue ($352 million).

In the same season, the Chicago Bulls had the NBA's highest average regular season home attendance.

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5 Los Angeles Clippers

$4.65 Billion

The Los Angeles Clippers are one of the NBA franchises based in California. The team was established in 1970 as a Buffalo Braves expansion team; the franchise was acquired by former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in 2014 for $2 billion.

The Clippers have never won an NBA championship, but they have made the playoffs ten times since 2000. The Clippers are a popular team in Los Angeles, and they have a solid fan base in the city.

The Clippers play their home games at Crypto.com Arena, which they share with NBA team the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2022/23, the regular season home attendance of the franchise was 720,543, with an average of 17,574 attendees per game.

The LA Clippers is valued at $4.65 billion, with an operating income of $425 million. In 2023, the Clippers registered a revenue of $425 million.

4 Boston Celtics

$4.7 Billion

The Boston Celtics need no introduction, even for a general audience. The Celtics are one of the most successful teams in the NBA, having won 17 NBA championships (paired with the Los Angeles Lakers), the most of any team in the league.

The legacy of this historic franchise, combined with its loyal fan base and iconic green and white, has made it into a massive global brand. The franchise value of the Boston Celtics amounted to $4.7 billion in 2023, an increase of about 18 percent over the previous year.

The Celtics generated $443 million in revenue during the 2021/2022 season, which surpassed the average NBA team's gross income of $361 million. The Celtics' sponsors include Mexican beer company Corona, Dunkin', JBL, and others.

3 Los Angeles Lakers

$6.4 Billion

The Los Angeles Lakers have won the NBA championship a record 17 times, along with the Celtics. The franchise has seen many greats in their roster, like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal.

The franchise was established in 1947 in Minneapolis as the Minneapolis Lakers, two years before the NBA was formed. It rebranded itself as the Los Angeles Lakers after relocating to California in 1960.

The franchise has one of the largest local fan bases in the league (with Hollywood stars among their season ticket holders) given the team's proximity to Tinseltown. The Lakers play their home games at Crypto.com Arena, a multipurpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles.

In 2022/2023, the regular season home attendance of the franchise was 763,168, with an average of 18,613 attendees per game. The Lakers have over 21 million fans on the social media platform Facebook, and the franchise generated a revenue of $516 million in 2023.

2 New York Knicks

$6.6 Billion

Despite their lack of recent success in the league, the New York Knicks are the second most valuable franchise in the NBA.

A lot of factors can be attributed to this commercial success, but one of them is the fact that they play in New York, the financial capital of the world. Alongside the Boston Celtics, the Knicks are one of two original NBA teams still located in its original city.

The team plays its home games at Madison Square Garden, a multipurpose indoor arena in New York City. In 2022/23, the regular season home attendance of the franchise was 795,110, an average of 19,392 per game.

The team netted an impressive $504 million in revenue after the conclusion of the 2022/2023, marking one of the highest values in the league. Around 30 percent of the team's total revenue was generated by ticket sales, a testament to the team's enduring popularity in the bustling city that never sleeps.

1 Golden State Warriors

$7.7 Billion

Golden State Warriors are one of the most successful franchises in recent times, with an impressive six NBA championships in the last decade.

The team – led by two-time MVP Stephen Curry – went from a minor franchise steeped in old glory to a major powerhouse in the league. The Golden State Warriors’ franchise value has grown consistently over the past few years; in 2022, the franchise had an estimated value of $7 billion.

The team calls the 18,000-capacity Chase Center home, and given their recent triumphs, the arena is a sea of blue and yellow every game day. In 2022/23, the regular season home attendance of the franchise was 740,624, with an average of 18,064 attendees per game.

The Warriors recorded a grand $765 million in revenue during the 2022/2023 season and retained their position as the most valuable franchise in the league.

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