myAJCHawks 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.
Initial Purchase of Team