Warriors are more valuable than Lakers, Dodgers or Yankees, per new assessment
At $9.1 billion, the Warriors are the most valuable NBA franchise and the second-highest valued organization in all of U.S. professional sports, according to an annual valuation from Sportico.
Only the Dallas Cowboys are worth more than Golden State, according to both Sportico and Forbes, which valued the Warriors at $8.8 billion in October. The Warriors have been considered the most valuable franchise in the NBA since 2022.
The Warriors’ value increased by 10% year over year, per Sportico. One contributing factor is their ownership of the Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA expansion team set for its inaugural season in 2025.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob, who also owns the Valkyries, bought the franchise in 2010 in a group with Peter Guber for $450 million. That means the franchise has increased roughly 1,900% in the 15 years since Lacob purchased the team.
The Warriors moved from Oracle Arena in Oakland to the Chase Center — the team’s massive, privately financed project — in 2019. Among the top 10 NBA franchises, only the Celtics and Lakers don’t own the arenas they play in.
A recent economic impact report estimated that the Chase Center generated $4.2 billion for the San Francisco economy since it opened through NBA games, concerts, live events and Thrive City activations.
Second on Sportico’s NBA franchise valuation list is the New York Knicks ($8.3 billion). The Lakers ($8.07 billion) rank third, and no other franchise is valued over $6 billion. The Boston Celtics, which are for sale, are valued at $5.66 billion.
The average NBA team is worth $4.6 billion, per Sportico, representing a 15% increase over last year. Despite recent concerns over television ratings, the league is buoyed by an 11-year media rights deal worth roughly $76 billion.
Notable
— The Warriors enjoyed almost an entire week off because of scheduling quirks from the NBA Cup. They got in four practices between games, including two after acquiring point guard Dennis Schroder. They focused much of their attention on late-game execution offensively, which has hamstrung them in several recent losses.
— Moses Moody (left knee) is out for Thursday night’s game at the FedEx Forum. Coach Steve Kerr said that he didn’t scrimmage during the week and will miss his third straight game.
— Memphis is without GG Jackson, Vince Williams Jr., backup center Jay Huff and likely Marcus Smart, who’s listed as questionable. The second-place Grizzlies have won 10 of their past 12 games.
— Kyle Anderson, a former Grizzly, called Memphis his favorite city he has represented in the NBA.
“The love here is unmatched,” Anderson said at Thursday morning shootaround.
Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Gary Payton II and Gui Santos, along with Anderson, participated in the Warriors’ optional morning shootaround in Memphis.