RealGM

Hawks soar past $1 billion in franchise value



Even as the Hawks rank among the NBA’s worst teams on the court, the franchise’s value has soared.

The Hawks are now worth $1.15 billion, up 30 percent from $885 million a year ago, according to Forbes’ annual study, released Wednesday, of NBA franchise valuations.

The current ownership group, led by Tony Ressler, bought the Hawks for about $730 million in 2015, meaning that based on Forbes’ estimate the franchise has gained $420 million in value since then.

The study found that the 30 NBA teams are worth an average of $1.65 billion, up 22 percent from last year.

Forbes attributed the growth in franchise values league-wide to a variety of factors: the NBA’s international media and marketing growth in China and elsewhere; the start of a new national TV contract in the U.S. with “three times the worth of the previous deal on an annual basis”; new corporate logos on jerseys; and others.

And if you’re wondering about the value of other Atlanta teams, the Falcons last year were estimated to be worth $2.475 billion and the Braves $1.5 billion, both benefiting from new stadiums.

Taking a deeper look at the Atlanta Hawks franchise valuation
Forbes weighs in and we dive deep

Forbes released their 2018 NBA Franchise Valuations in early February. The Atlanta Hawks are listed as the 23rd-most valuable franchise at $1.15 billion -- a 30% increase over last year’s $885 million valuation, which was also 23rd-highest.

Every franchise is now valued at $1 billion or above, with New Orleans in last place for the third consecutive year but now valued at $1 billion -- up from $750 million last year. The average franchise value last year was $1.36 billion but this year the average franchise value has climbed up to $1.65 billion.

Jamaaliver wrote:If I'm Ressler...I sell high and walk away right now while the value is high and taxes are low.

HMFFL wrote:I believe the price will only increase quickly as it's already been doing.

The money within NBA is insane and is only growing. If gambling does become a thing too it will drive an increase that will go thru the roof.