Two NBA teams that are currently nowhere near where they once were on the court top the Forbes annual list of most valuable NBA franchises.
The Los Angeles Lakers come in at No. 1 with a current value of $2.6 billion. Meanwhile, the New York Knicks come in at $2.5 billion.
Rounding out the top-five are the Chicago Bulls ($2 billion), Boston Celtics ($1.7 billion) and Los Angeles Clippers ($1.6 billion).
Aided by Steve Ballmer purchasing the Clippers for a cool $2 billion, the value of NBA franchises grew 72 percent over the past year.
The Brooklyn Nets, who are currently up for sale, came in at sixth with a value of $1.5 billion. While the best team in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors, took the seventh spot $1.3 billion. That number promises to change when the Warriors move into their new digs in San Francisco at some point in the not-so-distant future.
This list tells us a story that there really isn’t much correlation between on-court success and team value. New York currently boasts the worst record in the Association, but its ties with Madison Square Garden and a still huge television audience put the franchise over the top to the second spot. It also doesn’t hurt that the Knicks play in one of the biggest media markets in the world.
Photo: NBA.com