The NBA has grown from a fledgling league struggling for attention to a global juggernaut worth billions. As of right now, it’s the second most valuable sporting establishment on the planet, solely behind fellow American powerhouse the NFL. And with the 2024/25 campaign now well underway, it’s clear to see why.
So far this term, we have seen frontrunners falter and underdogs rise. One only needs to take a look at Joel Embiid and his Philadelphia 76ers. Many sports betting sites made them a second favorite for the Larry O’Brien throughout the close season, narrowly behind the reigning record champion Boston Celtics. However, a dismal start consisting of 12 losses in their first 14 games has left them languishing. They have since recovered somewhat to 7-15, but the latest online sports betting odds now make them a mighty +5000 outsider, a stark contrast to their preseason hopes.
Despite their floundering start to the new season, the Sixers are still an incredibly valuable franchise. They don’t quite manage to crack the top three, however, unlike these…
Los Angeles Lakers
If the Knicks’ eye-watering valuation has been built on off-field strategies, then their rivals from the West Coast are the polar opposite. The Los Angeles Lakers are the epitome of championship pedigree and up until last season at least, they had lifted the Larry O’Brien more times than anyone else – well, level with the Celtics for a short while anyway.
Jerry Buss’s acquisition of the team in 1979 for $67 million was a turning point. He revolutionized what it meant to be an owner in the NBA, turning focus away from the court and onto courtside by inviting some of Hollywood’s biggest stars to games. That turned each Lakers showdown into star-studded entertainment, sending their valuation into another stratosphere.
The franchise has secured a whopping 17 titles over the years, with three very distinct eras forming part of their illustrious storybook. They had already featured in 15 NBA Finals by 1973, winning six of them. However, it was in the 1980s that business picked up.
Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar combined to lead the Lakers to five championships in eight years throughout that particular decade, making them the most feared team in the league. Then came Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal who reeled off five titles in a decade, including a historic three-peat at the turn of the millennium.
Never one to be overshadowed, LeBron James headed to Tinsel Town throughout the mid-2010s, aiming to restore the franchise’s legacy. After being without a championship for over ten years, King James immediately set about the task at hand, leading his new side to a record-equalling 17th crown in 2020.
The Celtics have since outdone them, claiming their 18th championship last season, but LeBron won’t mind right now. He still remains with the team and he has just welcomed his son Bronny to the Crypto.com Arena, forming the first-ever father-son partnership in NBA history. Whether those two can combine to reel in their Beantown rivals once more remains to be seen.
Golden State Warriors
While the Warriors were originally an afterthought, the past two decades have seen them stage a meteoric rise. Their transformation began with a change in ownership. Joe Lacob and Peter Guber purchased the team in 2010 for $450 million, a price that now seems like a bargain considering the franchise’s current valuation in the billions. They immediately started construction on the $1.4 billion Chase Arena, something that would lay the groundwork for future successes.
The San Francisco outfit’s financial ascent is largely tied to their on-court triumphs during the Stephen Curry era. Bolstered by the Baby-Faced Assassin’s unprecedented three-shooting prowess – as well as his devastating Splash Brothers link-up with Klay Thompson – the Warriors became a dynasty. They reached five straight NBA Finals between 2015 and 2019, winning three of them. Unhappy with that, however, they would return in 2022 and flex their muscles once more, claiming their fourth championship of a rampant era.
Boston Celtics
Much like the NFL’s city-sharing Patriots, the Boston Celtics is the first team people think of when they think of the NBA. Despite not operating in a market as big as Los Angeles or the opposing East Coast, the Beantown giants have still managed to amass significant financial muscle, $8 billion worth of it actually.
They, like the two teams that came before them, have built their wealth on pure basketball brilliance. Throughout the 50s and swinging 60s, they were simply unplayable. Between 1957 and 1969 they reached 12 Finals series in 13 years, winning 11 of them including a stunning eight in as many years from 1959 onward. Back then, it was Bill Russell who was the star of the show, and in more recent times it’s the killer duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
With the Double-J duo working in tandem, the Celtics have risen to the fore once again. They reached the NBA Finals for the first time in 12 years back in 2022, ultimately losing out to the aforementioned dynasty-like Warriors. The following year, they reached the Conference Finals where they were upset by the eighth seed Miami Heat, despite overturning a 3-0 series deficit only to lose the decider on home turf.
Last season, however, their dominance reached new heights, and it finally led them to the Larry O’Brien. They finished with a whopping 64 wins throughout the regular season, some seven clear of their nearest rival. In the postseason, they dropped just three games in 19 en route to the title. Now, they are on the prowl once again, and another record-extending triumph will only increase their value further.
