Celtics slip one spot in Forbes ranking of most valuable NBA teams
Don’t fret too much Celtics fans — it’s not you. It’s Steph Curry.
Forbes‘s released their annual ranking of the most valuable NBA teams on Wednesday, and the Celtics — valued at $2.2 billion — are one peg lower.
Boston fell from fourth place to fifth, largely due to the fact that the Golden State Warriors have soared into the top three. The Celtics had retained a firm hold of the four spot since 2012.
At the top of Forbes‘s 2017 rankings are the New York Knicks at $3.3 billion, the Los Angeles Lakers at $3 billion, the Warriors at $2.6 billion, and the Chicago Bulls at $2.5 billion. After the Celtics, the top 10 was rounded out by the Los Angles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks, and Miami Heat (in that order).
The Celtics’ slip is in no small part due to the Warriors’s recent meteoric rise on the backs of All-Stars Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and this year’s new addition, Kevin Durant. Golden State saw a league-leading 37-percent increase in value since last year. After the record-breaking 73-9 regular season in 2015-16, the Warriors are again at the top of league this year with a 47-9 record.
Meanwhile, the Celtics saw a 5-percent increase in worth, which was the smallest increase of any team in the top five. It was also less than seven of the top eight teams. According to Forbes, the team turned around an operating profit of $60.1 million, which was also fifth in the league, behind the Knicks, Lakers, Warriors, and Rockets.
But just as Knicks fans may currently find little solace in their league-leading net worth, the 37-19 Celtics can at least rest their hats on the Eastern Conference’s second seed heading into this year’s All-Star break — and also their 17 NBA titles.
