Miami Heat Among 11 NBA Teams With Estimated Worth of Over $1 Billion
LeBron James might have cut his time with the Miami Heat short after four amazing years with the red and black, but that hasn't stopped the team from climbing into the NBA's top 10 most valuable franchises.
Forbes' annual estimates peg the Heat's value at $1.175 billion. The mind-blowing part of this is the fact Micky Arison purchased the Heat for $33 million in 1988. A solid investment.
The Lakers pace the league at $2.6 billion, followed closely by the Knicks at $2.5 billion. The Clippers, purchased by Steve Ballmer for $2 billion from Donald Sterling last August, rank fifth at $1.6 billion, $400 million short of the latest estimate.
Below are the top ten teams in the Association according to value, also noting the increase in value from the previous year.
| Team | Value | YOY |
| 1. Lakers | $2.6B | 93% |
| 2. Knicks | $2.5B | 79% |
| 3. Bulls | $2.0B | 100% |
| 4. Celtics | $1.7B | 94% |
| 5. Clippers | $1.6B | 178% |
| 6. Nets | $1.5B | 92% |
| 7. Warriors | $1.3B | 73% |
| 8. Rockets | $1.25B | 61% |
| 9. Heat | $1.175B | 53% |
| 10. Mavericks | $1.15B | 50% |
