Forbes' NBA Team Values 2020: New York Knicks Take Home Top Spot

NEW YORK, NY — Winning games may be one of the best ways to lift a National Basketball Association team's value, according to Forbes' 2020 franchise valuations, but nothing beats the impact of a major market.

The New York Knicks ranked No. 1 out of 30 NBA teams in current value, according to Forbes' "The Business of Basketball," which the business magazine released on Tuesday.

The Knicks are currently worth $4.6 billion. The figure represents a team valuation up 15 percent from the 2018-19 season. The Madison Square Garden based franchise is joined by only the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors in the $4 billion club.

The Knicks were able to top Forbes' 2020 list despite seven consecutive losing seasons and a 17-65 record in the 2018-19 campaign.

Here's other important information about the New York basketball team:

• Price Paid By Current Owner For Team: $300 million
• Revenue Per Fan: $39
• Media Partners: TV - MSG, Radio - ESPN NY 98.7
• Average Ticket Price: $140

The Toronto Raptors, the reigning NBA champions, enjoyed the biggest boost in value, according to Forbes. The Raptors are now worth $2.1 billion, a 25 percent increase from last year's figure.

It is the first time in league history that the average NBA team is worth more than $2 billion, Forbes reported. Additionally, NBA franchises overall increased by 14 percent during the last year, compared to an 11 percent increase for NFL teams and an 8 percent increase from Major League Baseball franchises.

Since 2010, the average NBA team value is up nearly sixfold.

The Memphis Grizzlies are the lowest currently valued team in the NBA at $1.3 billion. The bottom five are rounded out by the New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons.

Forbes compiled the 22nd annual version of its NBA valuation list by using "revenue multiples to calculate our team values (equity plus net debt) based on the economics of each team's current arena deal," authors of the Forbes study wrote in a section labeled "Methodology."

You can read more about how the business magazine calculated the valuations of each NBA franchise on its website.

Here are the current top 10 highest valued teams in the NBA, according to Forbes:

1. New York Knicks: $4.6 billion
2. Los Angeles Lakers: $4.4 billion
3. Golden State Warriors: $4.3 billion
4. Chicago Bulls: $3.2 billion
5. Boston Celtics: $3.1 billion
6. Los Angeles Clippers: $2.6 billion
7. Brooklyn Nets: $2.5 billion
8. Houston Rockets: $2.475 billion
9. Dallas Mavericks: $2.4 billion
10. Toronto Raptors: $2.1 billion

The full list of NBA franchise valuations is available on Forbes’ website.