Raptors among Top 10 most valuable franchises in NBA according to Forbes

An incredible year of success on court for the Toronto Raptors has elevated the team to one of the most valuable franchises in the NBA according to the latest estimations from Forbes magazine.

The Raptors ranked 10th in the yearly list of most valuable franchises in the league, worth an estimated $2.1 billion dollars.

The New York Knicks top the list for the fifth straight year, valued at $4.6 billion, offering some counter-evidence to the claim that team success is a primary driver of the figure.

The Los Angeles Lakers ($4.4 billion), Golden State Warriors ($4.3 billion), Chicago Bulls ($3.2 billion), Boston Celtics ($3.1 billion), Los Angeles Clippers ($2.6 billion), Brooklyn Nets ($2.5 billion), Houston Rockets ($2.475 billion), and Dallas Mavericks ($2.4 billion) round out the names ahead of the Raptors in the Top-10.

On average, NBA teams are worth $2.12 billion, an average 14 percent increase from last year. The Raptors — who captured the NBA championship — saw the highest year-over-year growth of any team, increasing 25 percent from last year’s valuation.

According to Forbes’ evaluations, the Raptors made $334 million in revenue last season (fifth most in the league behind the Knicks, Warriors, Lakers, and Rockets), up from $275 million the season prior. Hosting 12 playoff home games was cited as a driver of part of the increase, as was the first year of Scotiabank’s 20-year deal for the naming rights to the arena.

Positive stories have found a way to follow the Toronto Raptors around lately, with their reputation as a top-level organization in the league now touching all areas of the franchise. The player development and talent acquisition strategies have been justified with sustained on-court success, and now the dividends are being seen in massive financial success as well.

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