Among those who passed through in Tulsa were fallen track star Marion Jones (13 years after she had played collegiate basketball at North Carolina) and Swoopes, who played her final season at age 40 for the Shock in 2011. We have a process that were following, and were excited to get to the next steps on this, Engelbert said. The league announced Friday afternoon that it had approved sale of the franchise. Low point: Diggins-Smith insisting on a trade before the 2020 season, a year after Cambage had done the same thing. WNBA salary: $170,000. MLSE is developing a comprehensive business strategy to explore opportunities for involvement in all womens professional sports, including basketball, and look forward to working with leagues and partners across the industry as part of that process.. In the 2000s, they made the NBA Finals three times, winning one title in 2000. In addition to the $12.3 million that the players receive, another $18 million comes from corporate sponsors. At this point, despite a lot of success as a franchise, the Dream face a lot of questions. Heres a look at the six markets that seem the most prepared and probable to be on the short list for WNBAexpansion: During the fall of 2019, the Nashville Sports Authority board commissioned CAA Icon a consulting firm that works with venue owners and operations, professional sports franchises and sports leagues to conduct market research on the viability of and interest in a professional womens sports team in the city. USATI. Austin is a true sports fan. They also own MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers and NFL's Los Angeles Rams. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Revenue and operating income (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) are for the 2020-21 season and are net of revenue sharing and arena debt service. For the first time, all 30 NBA teams have a perceived worth of $1.3 billion or more, per Forbes' annual report. They were established in 1968 and play all their home games at Fiserv Forum. Which is the most valuable team in the WNBA? which wnba team is worth the most They sometimes have to pay to appear on local TV, essentially debiting that outlay as a marketing spend just to air its games in its local market. Mike Alter - $1.2 Billion. The city could also serve as a gateway to the shoe companies that keep their headquarters nearby. The average NBA team is worth $1.9 billion, up 13% over last year and three times the level of five years ago. This allows more people from different economic backgrounds to attend basketball games. 10. 4. Seattle is our top-ranked franchise in part because it consistently has taken best advantage of its good fortune, and also because it has created such a positive, winning culture. (Rich von Biberstein / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images), Warriors majority owner Joe Jacob has interest in bringing a WNBA team to San Francisco. Other notable stars: Vicky Bullett, Allison Feaster, Rhonda Mapp, Charlotte Smith, Andrea Stinson, Tammy Sutton-Brown. Bridgestone Arena which is owned by Nashvilles Sports Authority Board and has successfully hosted the womens Final Four as well as SEC tournaments would be an obvious choice. Regular-season record: 413-340 Were a very different league when some of those transactions occurred. Abrahams said that New Media Sports & Entertainment actually needed to get clearance from MLSE in order to begin acquisition negotiations in 2019, which likely means the arena that has been approved by the WNBA is Scotiabank Arena, the Raptors arena which is owned and operated by MLSE. The Sun missed the playoffs for the next four seasons. They are a team constantly on the edge of relegation/promotion between the Colombian A and B soccer league, which isn't even in the top 10 in the world. So which WNBA franchise is the best in league history? High point: The 2012 title gave the future Hall of Famer Catchings a WNBA championship, and her college coach Pat Summitt was in attendance for the clinching victory. The Seattle Storm were able to turn around their financial situation and start making money. The "Air Jordan" became the face of the franchise when he joined them as a rookie in 1989 and remained with the team until 2003. Sykes said, In my opinion, the WNBA saved our democracy, then asked Ogwumike what could be done to get more people involved and interested in the WNBA. Playoff appearances (record): None Laksa plays in the forward position and was originally . It was named one of the WNBAs inaugural Gamechangers (an investor program launched by Engelbertin 2020), was an investor in the recent capital raise and owns equity in the league. At its largest, the WNBA expanded to 16 teams, but has been at 12 since 2010. Other notable stars: Alana Beard, Tamecka Dixon, Chelsea Gray, Mwadi Mabika, DeLisha Milton-Jones, Kristi Toliver. She was also named one of the WNBA's top 20 players as part of the . From there it's a fair drop off to Seattle Sounders on $705 million and New York City on $655 million. That history is ancient history, she said. MVPs: None The W.N.B.A. Even if your . The oldest player is 28-year-old Thornton. The WNBA has one of the more flexible business models in sports. Franchise journey: They made four playoff appearances in their seven seasons, but the Rockers were gone before they really had a chance to make an impact. A year later, the Sacramento Monarchs which had won a championship just four seasons earlier ceased operations after it failed to secure a relocation bid. Face of the franchise: Sheryl Swoopes (1997-2007) Nine players were named to all four of the WNBA's honorary teams named during milestones in the league's history - the All-Decade Team in 2006; Top 15 Players in 2011; Top 20@20 in 2016, and . Those four made up the core of the 2004 and 2005 teams that advanced to the WNBA Finals. If the WNBA paid out the same revenue split as the NBA (50-50 . A team can have more than one player make over the cap, but they can't have more than $113 million US dollars in total contract obligations. Face of the franchise: Diana Taurasi (2004-present) 2 pick and took Kelly Miller. Through expansion the WNBA is trying to reset the market for how much its franchises are worth. Regular-season record: 390-397 Only tangentially related, but Atltico Bucaramanga is with around $10 million. Other notable stars: Tully Bevilaqua, Sylvia Crawley, Kristin Folkl, DeMya Walker, Sophia Witherspoon. Championships: One (2005) Florida grad Jones gets credit as the only player who was with the Rockers start to finish. After the WNBA allowed teams to sell jersey advertising, the Phoenix Mercury in 2009 became the first franchise to land a deal with LifeLock that put the company logo across the front of the team's jerseys. For example, last month the Brooklyn Nets landed a jersey patch dealreportedlyworth an NBA-record $30 million a year, one reason the value of the Nets rose 21% this yearmore than any other teamto $3.2 billion. It is currently estimated that the WNBA generates approximately $60 million in revenue, while $12.3 million of that revenue is distributed to its players. Data provided by HighPostHoops.com 2028 2027 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 According to Forbes, the NBA's total revenue in 2010-11 was $3.96 billion. The NBA, however, turns a profit of roughly $2.1B per year, which is what allows them to payout 50% of the league revenue to players. The Dallas Wings are continuing to build their roster ahead of the 2023 WNBA season with the team's newest addition of Kitija "Kit" Laksa. Additional research by Justin Teitelbaum. The franchise took momentum with them to Texas, having had winning records in 2000, 2001 and 2002 and making the playoffs in their last two seasons in Utah. Minnesota Timberwolves: $1.43 billion, 15. Playoff appearances (record): Two (0-2) MVPs: None LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers are now valued at $5.5 billion, joining the New York Knicks and the Golden State Warriors in the $5 billion club. That was a rough 4-30 season, but McCoughtry was the No. Plus, help in the form of two consecutive No. Five franchises will pay their top earner less than $200,000 for the upcoming campaign. When the WNBA was first established in 1996, it had only two other major sponsors besides Nike: Coca-Cola and McDonald's. Regular-season record: 383-341 Championships: None The Fever haven't made the playoffs since she retired after the 2016 season. Beard was a four-time WNBAAll-Star and won a championship in 2016 with the Los Angeles Sparks. The Birch family also has interests in MLB's Chicago Cubs and MLS' Chicago Fire. "My wish is that ESPN would drive the push for the WNBA instead of waiting," says Lobo. Rookie Wire took a look at the NBA through the All-Star break and ranked each team from worst to first. 1 in 2001, Charlotte bypassed Catchings with the No. Austin Crumble. Low point: Going 17-51 over their last two seasons and then folding in January 2007 after 10 seasons in Charlotte. The Warriors' revenue comes primarily from ticket sales ($153 million) and corporate partnerships ($100 million). Once again, the franchise is considered the most valuable of any of the NBA's 30 clubs, according to a report from Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes. That revenue from the media contracts would do that.. Theres no crisp or clear formula, but you see cities that rise to the top pretty quickly, Engelbert said. WNBA career stats leaders: Margo Dydek in blocks (877) and block percentage (8.99); Jennifer Azzi in 3-point field goal percentage (45.8) As previously noted, the WNBA generates an average of $60 million in income every year. In the last seven years of the Shock's existence in Detroit, they reached the playoffs each season, got to the WNBA Finals four times and won three titles. The value of their franchise is $125 million. That means selling tickets and making it successful. Those numbers also diverge from what some interested investors believe a team is currently worth. But there was always a fascination league-wide with Dydek, the tallest woman to play in the WNBA at 7-foot-2. 9 UConn (26-5) eked out a 60-51 win over Xavier, a team that is 7-22 on the season and 0-20 in conference play. Low point: Having the distinction of being the only WNBA franchise to never make a playoff appearance. High point: Making their only WNBA Finals appearance in 2001, under coach Anne Donovan. Delle Donne, wanting to be closer to her Delaware home, pushed for a trade to Washington after the 2016 season and has won a title with the Mystics. Deanna "Tweety" Nolan helped Detroit win three WNBA championships, and was the WNBA Finals MVP during the team's 2006 title run. Boston Celtics: $3.2 . having both surpassed the $4 billion mark for the first time this year. The Knicks receive most of their revenue from selling tickets ($97 million) and some amount from basketball licensing ($25 million). Low point: An 8-26 record in 2003 under the Mercury's third coach in three years. Low point: The Liberty losing No. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. 3,$5.5 billion). Other notable stars: Swin Cash, Taj McWillliams-Franklin, Plenette Pierson, Ruth Riley, Katie Smith, Kedra Holland-Corn. Thats an increase from 2020, when the average team valuation crossed $2 billion for the first time, according to Forbes. Playoff appearances (record): 12 (30-28) There was definite fan interest and a good relationship between the Spurs and Stars. The presentation will show that Nashville has the infrastructure to support a team. Face of the franchise: Dawn Staley (1999-2005) Hammon is still in San Antonio, as a Spurs assistant. MVPs: Tamika Catchings (2011) WNBA career stats leaders: Elena Delle Donne in free throw percentage (93.9) and offensive rating (124.85) We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. After all, Dallas is a contemporary team and has a lot of young talent, led by scoring sensation Ogunbowale. We always bet on Nashville. Low point: The Fever are in it now -- their fifth consecutive losing season. Franchise journey: The Mercury seem to have had the most ownership stability of any WNBA franchise. When the Shock started 0-10 in 2002, former Detroit Pistons star Bill Laimbeer came in as head coach, which began a massive turnaround. Trinity Valley Community College Is the Hoops Dynasty You . Such feats have undoubtedly increased her value and as such, she is now one of the highest-paid in the WNBA. 1 draft picks in 2017 (Plum), 2018 (Wilson) and 2019 (Young). Local access to one or all of those companies could allow for a more fluid partnership between the businesses and players, potentially leading to endorsement deals that could help increase player pay outside of raising salaries through the collective bargaining agreement. Lacob called owning a WNBA team a dream in 2014. No controlling interests of NBA teams have changed hands sinceour lastranking,but several minority stakes were sold at prices that show thefranchisesare a hot commodity, especially those in big markets. In 2011, 22 of the 30 teams were losing money, and the average operating income per team sat at $6 million. , Apr 5, 2022. How much each NBA team is worth in 2021: New York Knicks: $5 billion. Other notable stars: Tina Charles, Katie Douglas, Margo Dydek, Jonquel Jones, Asjha Jones, Kara Lawson, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Renee Montgomery, Nykesha Sales, Jasmine Thomas, Lindsay Whalen, Courtney Williams. Though that method of valuation is unusual in comparison to how other professional sports leagues conduct their valuations, it also places the average value of a WNBA team at more than $43.75 million. High point: Winning the franchise's fourth title in 2020 during a pandemic-shortened season in an unprecedented "bubble" location in Florida. Were going to try to change the narrative and change the actual quantitative valuation model, Engelbert said. What's the best franchise in WNBA history? The WNBA has closed on $75 million in funding that values the league and its teams at $1 billion, according to people familiar with the raise. Golden State Warriors.