NBA Begins New Season With Trio of $5B Franchises

The NBA will tip off a new season Tuesday night with three franchises worth more than $5 billion. 

Based on Forbes’ most recent list of the most valuable NBA franchises, the New York Knicks lead the pack with a $5.8 billion valuation, a 16% increase from the previous season.

The NBA’s 30 teams head into the season worth an average $2.48 billion — up 13% year-over-year — based on the 2021 list. Forbes has yet to unveil its 2022 rankings.

• Joe Lacob and Peter Guber’s Golden State Warriors are the second-most valuable in the NBA with a $5.6 billion valuation.
• The Los Angeles Lakers — owned by a group that includes the Buss Family Trusts, Mark Walter, and Todd Boehly — are the third-most valuable at $5.5 billion.
• Jerry Reinsdorf’s Chicago Bulls round out the top four with a $3.65 billion valuation, an 11% increase year-over-year. 

A first for the league: All five Christmas Day games will be shown on ABC. Viewers can watch them all on ESPN as well. 

Big Deals 

NBA owners also secured a record $1.46 billion in sponsorship deals for the 2021-22 season.

Introduced during the 2017-2018 season, jersey patch deals are projected to bring in more than $225 million this season for the NBA’s 30 teams.

Deals

| by Abigail Gentrup

Lakers Ink 5-Year, $100M Jersey Patch Deal

Bibigo, the No. 1 food company in Korea, entered a 5-year deal…

September 21, 2021

In September 2021, the Lakers secured a five-year jersey patch deal worth more than $100 million with South Korean food line Bibigo, while the Brooklyn Nets landed an agreement with brokerage platform Webull worth roughly $30 million per year.