Forbes: Knicks, Lakers among 10 most valuable sports franchises
Despite any rhetoric commissioner Adam Silver tries to sell, 2014 was a great year for NBA teams.
Forbes released its list of the world's 50 most valuable sports teams of 2014 on Wednesday and two teams - the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers - made appearances in the top 10, despite winning a combined 38 games last season.
The Lakers are buoyed by a monstrous 20-year, $4-billion local TV broadcast deal, while the Knicks boast the league's priciest tickets, along with luxury suites that cost up to $1 million, which translated to over $300 million in gate revenue, Forbes reports.
But the Knicks and Lakers weren't the only teams to accrue value. Almost every NBA team's value increased over last year. A total of 10 teams made the top 50, all showing one-year jumps in valuation of at least 50 percent. The likely factor is the NBA's new nine-year, $24-billion TV broadcast deal starting in 2016.
| Team | Value | Top 50 Rank | 1-year Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakers | 2.6 billion | 6th | 93% |
| Knicks | 2.5 billion | 8th | 79% |
| Bulls | 2.0 billion | 14th | 100% |
| Celtics | 1.7 billion | 20th | 94% |
| Clippers | 1.6 billion | 22nd | 178% |
| Nets | 1.5 billion | 24th | 92% |
| Warriors | 1.3 billion | 37th | 73% |
| Rockets | 1.25 billion | 42nd | 61% |
| Heat | 1.18 billion | 47th | 53% |
| Mavericks | 1.15 billion | 49th | 50% |
National broadcast deals aside, the practice of vertical integration (consolidating ownership of broadcasts and arena rights) also plays a huge hand in the valuation of franchises. Forbes notes that teams like the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics save a fortune on rent costs.