Yesterday Forbes released their valuation of all 30 NBA teams, noting that the average value of an NBA franchise now stands at $1.1 billion. That represents a 74% rise in average franchise worth from 2014, which the magazine notes is the largest single-year jump since Forbes began tracking sports franchise values nearly 20 years ago.
Last October's massive $24 billion TV deal with ESPN and Turner is given understandable credit for the jump, along with local TV deals which frequently double or triple their predecessors. Topping the list are the Los Angeles Lakers as $2.6 billion, followed closely by last year's top franchise, the Knicks at $2.5 billion. Those two headline a group of 11 teams worth over $1 billion, compared to just three last season.
The Magic, perhaps unsurprisingly aren't in that illustrious third of the league, clocking in at 18th with a valuation of $875 million. Forbes cites a post-Dwight Howard .280 winning percentage as the primary force behind a 14% drop in attendance and a far steeper 63% drop in television viewership on Fox Sports Florida and Sun Sports.
It's not all bad news, however, as Forbes notes that the Magic tied their all-time high in terms of revenue from corporate sponsorship last season, and according to ESPN.com's figures Orlando experienced an uptick in attendance last season to the tune of 500 more fans per night compared to the previous season, despite a mere two game improvement in the standings.
Hopefully that upward trend will continue into the 2015-2016 season as an exciting young team headlined by Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris, and Victor Oladipo add fifth overall pick "Super" Mario Hezonja and attempt to make the leap to playoff contendership.
So what do y'all think, will the Magic rank higher or lower on this list next year?
