Forbes has released its annual NBA valuations, and the Nets are racing to the top.
Brooklyn comes in as the 5th-most valuable team in the NBA, with an estimated worth of $780 million, and their 47% value increase from last year is the biggest change in the NBA.
The Nets trail the New York Knicks (valued at $1.4 billion), Los Angeles Lakers ($1.35 billion), Chicago Bulls ($1 billion), and Boston Celtics ($875 million). The Nets are unique in the top five: each of those four teams has a significant cultural value in NBA history unlike the Nets, who have rocketed into the top-5 on the heels of their move to Brooklyn in the last two years.
It’s not all rosy, though: despite having the fifth-highest revenue stream in the NBA at $190 million, the Nets’ current operating income is -$19 million. They’re one of just four teams with a negative operating income, and the only one over $4 million in the red. Forbes also estimates a 36 percent debt/value ratio for the team, one of the higher figures in the NBA. That does include arena debt.
Full list below.
