In principle, you would think the Knicks are inferior to the Lakers in every way. But that would be a mistake … New Yorkers dominate Thus the Angelinos in a very famous ranking!
When we compare the current situation of the Lakers and the Knicks, we tell ourselves that there is still a world between the two. Admittedly, the latter have regained form since the arrival of coach Tom Thibodeau, but we are still far from seeing the men of the Big Apple among the contenders for the title. Quite the opposite of Purple and Gold, which are among the favorites! At the same time, when you count guys like LeBron James and Anthony Davis in its ranks …
The ray of hope for the Knickerbockers? They still hold a big place in the heart of the magazine Forbes. A world reference in financial news, the media frequently ranks the institutions worth the most money. The NBA is one of them, and a Top 10 most expensive franchises was recently published. Evan Fournier’s teammates should have a smile on their face!
The Knicks are the most worthy NBA franchise, the Lakers 3ᵉ
2021’s Most Valuable NBA Teams, per @Forbes:
1️⃣ NY Knicks, $5.8B
2️⃣ GS Warriors, $5.6B
3️⃣ LA Lakers, $ 5.5B
4️⃣ Chicago Bulls, $3.7B
5️⃣ Boston Celtics, $3.6B
6️⃣ LA Clippers, $3.3B
7️⃣ Brooklyn Nets, $3.2B
8️⃣ Houston Rockets, $2.8B
9️⃣ Dallas Mavs, $2.7B
???? Toronto Raptors, $2.5B pic.twitter.com/kFPOORPNk8— Front Office Sports (@FOS) October 18, 2021
In first position, we find the Knicks, which is far from being as surprising as that. Indeed, if they have not been at their best in sport for almost two decades, we are talking about New York, the biggest market in the whole league. In fact, it’s more astonishing to see the Nets only in seventh, given the hype around Brooklyn in recent years. That should change quickly now that Black and White are a super-team, especially if Kevin Durant & co. bring back a title.
For the rest, we note the domination of two states in particular, California and Texas. On their own, they make up half of the ranking (Warriors, Lakers and Clippers on one side, Rockets and Mavs on the other). We can also see that Golden State still has more financial value today than the Purple and Gold, despite the fact that the last Dubs title dates back three years now. LeBron and his teammates may be able to change that in 2021-22, by reclaiming their crown.
In the end, the big surprise of this Top 10 remains the absence of Miami, whose market is however anything but negligible. This is all the more the case as the Heat has been projected onto the front of the stage for ten years, with the constitution of the “Tres Amigos” James-Wade-Bosh. Seeing Toronto in front of the Floridians is therefore enough to raise an eyebrow. Small thought also for Milwaukee, defending champion but whose market is not significant enough.
Overall, this ranking won’t be of much interest to the players themselves, but it gives a pretty good indication of the big markets in the NBA. To see if another franchise can shake up the hierarchy by the end of the season!
