The total value of the trademarks of the NBA clubs jumped by 34 percent during the year 2026, to reach $14.2 billion, exceeding the combined value of the trademarks of the twenty clubs in the English Premier League, amounting to $11.3 billion, in an economic transformation that reflects the increasing influence of media rights revenues in the global sports industry.
A new report issued by Brand Finance, a company specialized in evaluating brands, revealed on Tuesday that the thirty clubs participating in the American Basketball League all recorded growth in the value of their brands, mainly driven by the new media rights agreement amounting to $76 billion, which contributed to an increase in broadcast revenues at the league level by 39 percent.
This transformation represents a remarkable recovery after the total value of the competition’s club brands declined by 8 percent during the year 2025, as the individual growth rates of the clubs this year ranged between 14 and 88 percent, an indication that all teams benefited from the significant improvement in media revenues, even if their ability to transform those gains into commercial and public power varied.
Comparison with English football reveals that the American Basketball League outperforms the NBA by $2.9 billion in the combined value of brands, equivalent to about 25.7 percent of the brand value of English Premier League clubs.
Despite this superiority, the American Basketball League is still behind the American Football League, whose club brands have a combined value of $28.6 billion, while it is far ahead of the American Football League, which has a value of $2.1 billion. This makes the combined value of basketball club brands approximately 6.8 times higher.
Broadcast rights redraw the economic map
The report places the new media agreement at the heart of the economic transformation witnessed by the competition, after the league concluded an agreement worth $76 billion with the networks and platforms of ESPN, NBC, and Amazon, in a move that enhanced the expected revenues of the clubs and raised the economic value of their brands.
The importance of this agreement is highlighted by the fact that its impact extended to all teams, and not to the major clubs alone. Less valuable brands also benefited from higher broadcast revenues, which explains why the 30 clubs recorded positive growth rates during the year.
These results illustrate the role that media rights play in the modern sports economy, as the commercial value of a club is no longer linked only to its sporting results or the size of its audience, but is now directly affected by its ability to benefit from the shared revenue system and spread through broadcast networks and digital platforms.
However, the report distinguishes between the high financial value of the brand and its actual strength in the markets, indicating that there is still a clear gap between the five strongest brands in the league and the rest of the clubs, especially in the level of public recognition outside the United States.
Golden State leads... and the Lakers are getting close
The Golden State Warriors maintained the top spot among the most valuable brands in the NBA for the fifth year in a row, after the value of its brand increased by 14 percent to reach $1.4 billion, recovering most of the losses it suffered during the year 2025, when its value declined by 18 percent.
The Los Angeles Lakers came in second place with a value of $1.3 billion, after recording a growth of 34 percent. This contributed to reducing the gap between it and Golden State, and strengthened the economic competition between two of the most prominent brands in American basketball.
The New York Knicks retained third place, after the value of their brand jumped by 51 percent to $1.1 billion, exceeding the billion-dollar barrier, after winning their first league title in 53 years, according to the report.
In fourth place, the Boston Celtics came ahead of the Chicago Bulls, after their brand value rose by 44 percent to $881 million, compared to a 29 percent growth for the Chicago Bulls, whose brand value reached $795 million.
These results reflect the continued economic dominance of clubs with a large public and historical presence, with a clear difference in the speed of growth of their commercial values, as some teams succeeded in achieving greater leaps than their competitors despite starting from lower levels.
Atlanta Hawks jumps 9 spots
The Atlanta Hawks recorded the largest growth rate among the league clubs during the year 2026, after the value of their brand increased by 88 percent to $525 million, advancing 9 places at once, from fifteenth to sixth place, achieving their highest ranking in the history of the classification.
This growth was not linked to financial value alone, but was accompanied by an improvement in the evaluation of the strength of the club’s brand from “Double A Negative” to “Double A,” a reflection of the improvement in indicators related to the mental image of the club and its management.
Brand Finance research showed that 25 percent of fans view the Atlanta Hawks as a well-run club, which is five percentage points above the league average.
This result indicates the importance of managerial reputation in building a sports brand. The evaluation of clubs is not limited to their achievements on the field, but extends to the fans’ perception of the quality of management and their ability to develop the club and sustain its success.
The Lakers are the strongest commercially, despite the Warriors leading in value
In a different indicator than financial value, the Los Angeles Lakers topped the list of the strongest brands in the American Basketball League, among 4 clubs that received a “Triple A Plus” rating, which is the highest rating given by “Brand Finance” for the strength of brands.
The Lakers advanced in the indicators of the general impression among the fans, and were seen as the club with the largest number of stars before LeBron James’ move to the Philadelphia 76ers, as the percentage of this impression exceeded double the league average of 22 percent.
The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks moved ahead of the Chicago Bulls in the brand power rankings, ranking second and third respectively.
The Boston Celtics recorded the highest level of fan interaction in the league at 22 percent, compared to a general average of 12 percent, a difference that reflects the strength of the relationship between the club and its fan base.
These indicators highlight the difference between the financial value of the brand and its strength. A club may top the financial rating thanks to expected revenues, while another club excels in the level of public awareness, emotional connection and impressions of its stars and management.
$175.6 billion value of clubs combined
At the level of the total economic value of sports franchises, Brand Finance estimated the combined value of the thirty NBA clubs at about $175.6 billion, compared to $163 billion in 2025, an increase of $12.6 billion, equivalent to about 7.7 percent.
This indicator differs from the combined value of brands of $14.2 billion; The value of a sports franchise includes the club's economic activity, assets, rights, and ability to generate revenue, while the brand represents one of its intangible assets.
This evaluation came at a time when the combined revenues of the league clubs approached $12.5 billion during the 2025 season.
The Golden State Warriors topped the list of clubs with the highest value at the sports franchise level at about $15.1 billion, compared to $3.3 billion for the New Orleans Pelicans, which has the lowest value in the classification. Which means the Warriors' value is about 4.6 times the Pelicans' value.
This disparity reveals the difference in the economic capacity of the clubs within the competition itself, despite their shared benefit from the media rights system, which reinforces the importance of local markets, the size of the fan base, and the strength of the brand in determining the total value of each club.
Europe...a new market and opportunities worth hundreds of millions
Commenting on the results of the report, Alfred Dupuis, Managing Director of Brand Finance in North America, said that all NBA clubs recorded growth in the value of their brands during the year, but a limited number of them succeeded in building an actual well-known presence outside the United States.
He pointed out that the European League project that the American Basketball League is planning to launch may contribute to changing this equation, especially with the presence of investment offers amounting to $500 million or more in each of the twelve targeted cities.
However, Dupuis pointed out that the biggest challenge relates to the extent to which the new project can coexist with the existing European Euroleague competition, after its clubs rejected the merger proposal.
He warned that the presence of two competing tournaments at the highest level might lead to division among fans, sponsors, and talents, stressing that how the new American league is positioned alongside the Euroleague will be as important as the financial investments allocated to the project.
These statements reveal that international expansion represents one of the potential paths to enhance the commercial value of American basketball clubs, but it faces challenges related to the structure of sports competitions and relationships with existing institutions and clubs in the targeted markets.
How is brand value calculated?
In evaluating trademarks, Brand Finance relies on a methodology known as “exemption from royalties,” which is based on estimating the economic return that the trademark could achieve if it were licensed for use in the market.
The evaluation process includes measuring the strength of the brand, according to marketing investment indicators, impressions, relationships with stakeholders, and commercial performance, then estimating the future revenues associated with the brand and calculating its current value.
The company also uses a 100-point brand strength index, which gives brands graded ratings up to “Triple A Plus,” based on criteria that include public presence, reputation, and economic performance.
