A pending $12.5 billion sale of the Los Angeles Lakers just reset the price tag for every team in the league.
Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger have agreed to buy the Lakers from Mark Walter, and the deal is still waiting on approval. If it goes through, the average NBA team will be worth $6.68 billion, a 21% jump from where teams sat just a few months ago.
That sale price works out to about 20 times the team's expected revenue for the 2025-26 season. That is the highest multiple ever paid for a controlling stake in an NBA team.
The math gets interesting when you look at how fast the Lakers' value moved. Walter bought his controlling stake in the team back in October at a $10 billion valuation. Now, just a few months later, that same stake is selling for $12.5 billion. That is a 25% gain in roughly four months.
CNBC took that Lakers deal and used it to update valuations for all 30 NBA teams. The new numbers factor in arena economics, market size, and how much investors are willing to pay. Revenue and profit figures come from the 2024-25 season.
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The Golden State Warriors still sit at the top of the list. They are now worth $13 billion, up 20% from the $10.8 billion valuation they carried in February. The reigning NBA champion New York Knicks are right behind at $12.7 billion, and the Lakers slot in third at $12.5 billion.
The Knicks and the Chicago Bulls posted the biggest gains. Both teams jumped 26% since mid-February. The Knicks are up 35% over the past year, while the Lakers have climbed 43% in that same stretch.
Here is the full updated list, from most to least valuable:
The Memphis Grizzlies, the least valuable team in the league, are worth $4.55 billion. That is up 21% since February 13, 2026.
These numbers matter beyond the billionaire club that owns the teams. Rising valuations mean the people who already own franchises are sitting on enormous paper gains, and that tends to change how they behave.
When team values climb this fast, owners are more willing to spend on players, since the asset keeps appreciating. It also means anyone hoping to buy a team someday will need to bring a lot more money to the table. The entry price for the cheapest franchise just went past $4.5 billion.
For fans, the practical takeaway is simpler. Your team is worth more than it was six months ago, even if the product on the court has not changed. The business of basketball keeps growing, and the Lakers sale just proved the ceiling is higher than anyone thought.
Even as team values jump, the free Always Be Buying E-Book offers a steady path for your money