"Golden State Warriors are the forefront of basketball's financial management // Photo: chasecenter.com
The Los Angeles Lakers franchise showed the highest growth, trailing the Golden State Warriors (see table). The team from the City of Angels, whose rights are owned by the franchise of the same name, has increased in value by 41% year over year. In the first half of this year, the Bass family, which owned the Lakers for more than 45 years, sold the franchise to Mark Walter, CEO of investment firm TWG. The $10 billion deal was the most expensive in the history of professional sports. According to Forbes, the actual value of the deal could be as high as $12 billion.
Prior to the deal, Walter was a minority shareholder in the basketball franchise, in which he and Todd Bowley (owner of Chelsea Football Club from London) owned a 27% stake. This is not the first time the entrepreneur has been active in the sports market – in 2012 he bought the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball club for $2.15 billion and thus saved it from bankruptcy. Thirteen years later, the club is valued at $7.7 billion, is a two-time World Series winner and a regular participant in the MLB (Major League Baseball) playoffs.
“The banner” of the most expensive NBA franchise is carried for the fourth consecutive year by the Golden State Warriors, valued at $11 billion. The franchise’s value has increased by 25% in one year. “The San Francisco Warriors surpass all of their league rivals in terms of profitability – the club’s revenues totaled $880 million. The second-ranked Los Angeles Clippers earned $569 million. The third-ranked Los Angeles Lakers franchise earned $551 million, while the fourth-ranked New York Knicks earned $532 million.
The Golden State Warriors are unrivaled in terms of revenue from sponsorships and premium ticket sales. The leaders of the ranking demonstrated revenue more than double the league average ($417 million). Compared to franchises from other leagues in the U.S. and Canada, Golden State Warriors ranks second and is second only to the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL (American soccer), whose budget for the year was replenished by $1.2 billion. A comparable income was recorded by the New York Yankees baseball franchise, which was enriched by $705 million.
Much more modest revenues are demonstrated by hockey franchises. The best indicator among them is the Edmonton Oilers with a revenue of $213 million for 2024. This figure does not even reach the least profitable NBA franchise, the New Orleans Pelicans, which earned $302 million.
NBA revenue grew 10% year-over-year to approximately $12.5 billion, which includes revenue from non-league events held at NBA venues. As Forbes notes, all 30 franchises whose clubs are represented in the basketball league are valued at $160 billion ($5.33 billion per franchise). The figure grew by 21% in one year and more than 100% in four years. The growth dynamics touched the NBA’s minimum threshold as well. The least wealthy franchise, the Memphis Grizzlies, went from $3 billion to $3.5 billion over the year, or 17%.
High incomes – cosmic salaries
The NBA continues to be the top professional league in the U.S. and Canada in terms of salaries. The average annual salary of a player in the league this season is $11.8 million, and according to some reports it reaches $14.1 million. The median salary is about $5.7 million. A significant difference from the average salary is due to the fact that star players sign contracts with clubs that are many times more expensive than the rest.
Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry will earn $59.6 million at the end of this season, which is five times the average salary. The player will earn another $100 million off the court, as he is tied up in multiple sponsorship deals.
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, 40, earns $52.6 million for playing in NBA games and $85 million from sponsorship contracts. Curry just this year overtook James on the league’s list of highest-paid players. Prior to that, the legendary Lakers basketball player continuously topped the ranking for 11 years.
Houston Rockets light forward Kevin Durant takes the third position. His salary is $53.3 million per season, but his sponsorship contracts bring him much less income – $51 million. Basketball players from the top three are not young in sports terms: Curry and Durant are 37 years old, and James is 40 years old.
Experts differ in their opinions about further growth of NBA revenues. A 91% increase in the number of affiliate contracts has kept NBA revenue growing steadily for five consecutive seasons, but that trend is on the decline. The league is looking for ways to attract partners on more favorable terms and is ready to once again prove its high adaptability to changing market conditions.
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TOP-10 NBA franchises in 2025 |
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| № | Franchise with the club of the same name | Value* |
Growth (per year) |
|
1 |
“Golden State Warriors | $11 billion |
25% |
|
2 |
“Los Angeles Lakers | $10 billion |
41% |
|
3 |
“New York Knicks | $9.75 billion |
30% |
|
4 |
“Los Angeles Clippers | $7.5 billion |
36% |
|
5 |
“Boston Celtics | $6.7 billion |
12% |
|
6 |
“Chicago Bulls | $6 billion |
20% |
|
7 |
“Houston Rockets | $5.9 billion. |
20% |
|
8 |
“Miami Heat | $5.7 billion |
34% |
|
9 |
“Brooklyn Nets | $5.6 billion. |
17% |
|
10 |
“Philadelphia 76ers | $5.45 billion. |
18% |
|
TOP-5 NBA franchises with the lowest value |
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|
1 |
“Memphis Grizzlies. | $3.5 billion |
17% |
|
2 |
“New Orleans Pelicans | $3.55 billion |
16% |
|
3 |
“Minnesota Timberwolves | $3.6 billion |
16% |
|
4 |
“Detroit Pistons | $3.65 billion |
7% |
|
5 |
“Charlotte Hornets | $3.8 billion |
15% |
| * According toForbes(USA) | |||
