Tulsa finally had a winning record at 18-16 and made its lone playoff appearance in 2015. Joe Tsai is a co-founder of China's biggest e-commerce company, Alibaba Group. 2 picks: Fowles (in 2008) and Delle Donne (2013). 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. Regular-season record: 48-48 In all but one case -- Tulsa to Dallas -- the ownership was different when the franchise moved, and in all cases the teams have had distinct identities. The No. Regular-season record: 383-341 Looming over this process, however, is the value of a WNBA franchise. Official site's Transactions page agrees that Johannes signed a Training Camp Contract (that's what a reserved qualifying offer becomes when it's signed). Face of the franchise: Tamika Catchings (2002-2016) Championships: None Face of the franchise: Merlakia Jones (1997-2003) The Seattle Storm were able to turn around their financial situation and start making money. That brought young post players Charli Collier, 21, and Awak Kuier, 20, who could blossom. The W.N.B.A. They pay for the potential and so the WNBAis becoming a major part of the conversation as we speak.. And were also looking at our current WNBA franchise cities and comparing what lessons weve learned and whats worked and not worked over the last 25 years. 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. Even though she was 34 when the league started, Cooper was still playing at an elite level after more than a decade of stardom overseas, and was crucial to getting the WNBA off the ground. MVPs: None High point: Despite going 15-19 in the 2014 regular season, the Sky got hot at the right time, beating Atlanta and Indiana to reach the WNBA Finals. Face of the franchise: Sheryl Swoopes (1997-2007) 4. 28. The New York Knicks are also the most valued franchise among the National Basketball Association's 30 franchises (NBA). Championships: None Its amazing to see it all happening. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. The former Michigan State star caught up with For The Win to discuss the big . This allows more people from different economic backgrounds to attend basketball games. The Storm launched soon after the demise of the Seattle Reign of the short-lived ABL, so there was already a professional women's basketball audience in place. Those numbers also diverge from what some interested investors believe a team is currently worth. Low point: After winning the Eastern Conference for the first time in 2010, the Mystics lost their coach and general manager when they wanted to combine those jobs into one. WNBA career stats leaders: Sylvia Fowles in rebounds (3,640), rebounding average (9.81) and field goal percentage (59.6) According to Forbes, the NBA's total revenue in 2010-11 was $3.96 billion. Just two years later, WNBA was formed to promote the women's sport and officially had its commencement in 1997. In 2019, New Media Sports & Entertainment got approached by a representative for the then-ownersof a WNBA team about acquiring that team and relocating it to Toronto. Take, for example, the New York Knicks. We could see the Aces much higher in this kind of ranking a few years from now; they are contenders for the title again this season. The buyers, Mark Walter and Todd Boehley, have a path to eventually buying out controlling owner Jerry Buss Family Estate at some point in the future. Playoff appearances (record): One (1-2) Auriemma doesn't see his team cutting down any nets this season. Its amazing to be in the conversation, Beard said. Theres no crisp or clear formula, but you see cities that rise to the top pretty quickly, Engelbert said. So Dallas has its fate in its hands, and could move up quite a lot in the next few years. This is below the cost of most NBA games today. It sets its own prices and doesn't have a national television contract so it can increase or decrease its exposure by choosing which games to play and when. We'll never know, but Chicago has had a different kind of dynamic duo in guards -- and spouses -- Vandersloot and Quigley. The incoming WNBA team would be able to play at either the Moda Center, where the Blazers play, or Veterans Coliseum, a 12,000-seat arena next to the Moda Center. WNBA career stats leaders: Margo Dydek in blocks (877) and block percentage (8.99); Jennifer Azzi in 3-point field goal percentage (45.8) (Click here for our full list of values and additional information on every team.). Get Forbes daily top headlines delivered straight to your inboxfor news on the worlds most important entrepreneurs and superstars, expert career advice and success secrets. , Apr 5, 2022. The latest ranking reported that the Golden State Warriors is the most . "The way we are right now, this team, as it is right . Mark Davis bought the Aces from MGM last year for a little over $2 million. Sykes could not be reached for comment. WNBA career stats leaders: Cheryl Ford in total rebound percentage (20.47) In 2011, they won the draft lottery, which brought UConn superstar Moore as the No. The fact that doesnt happen in the WNBA as quickly or freely makes it difficult to assess the market worth of a team; it can also confound potential buyers about how much they need to get into the league. Signing free agents such as McCoughtry in 2020 (although she is out this season with a knee injury) and Gray this year were big moves, as was obtaining Cambage via trade in 2019. Franchise journey: The Utah Starzz were an original WNBA franchise in 1997, but the Utah Jazz were not a very engaged owner and the team moved to San Antonio to become part of the Spurs organization in 2003. She tried for years to make a comeback but was beset with injuries and ended up playing just 53 games total. Other notable stars: DeWanna Bonner, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Candice Dupree, Brittney Griner, Cappie Pondexter, Tangela Smith, Penny Taylor. With a maximum of 144 roster spots, and with the league carrying closer to 137 players because of salary cap restrictions, spots are at a premium lottery picks have been cut in their first season, beloved veterans whove played years in the league have been quietly waived during training camp and never played another minute. Championships: None Figures in USD $6200M for a 5-year period, so for the 2023 season this is USD $1240M for the League, $124M per team, $16.7M per match) Note that this is only the revenue from the sale of media rights to broadcasters. High point: The Mystics and Delle Donne overcoming her back injury and a tough Connecticut team to win the 2019 WNBA Finals. Other than in 2008 and 2012, they've made the playoffs every year since. having both surpassed the $4 billion mark for the first time this year. High point: Going 20-12 and making their lone playoff appearance in 2001, falling to New York. Theres nobody that wants this more than I do. Replacing Catchings has been most difficult for Indiana. The WNBA has one of the more flexible business models in sports. Los Angeles Lakers: $4.6 billion. Fourth is the Los Angeles Sparks. High point: Weatherspoon swishing a heave from just beyond half court to win Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals 68-67. The other four originals -- the Charlotte Sting, the Cleveland Rockers, the Houston Comets and Sacramento Monarchs -- are gone, but not forgotten by fans. However, MLSE wouldnt confirm directly whether its directly involved with the bid put forth by New Media Sports & Entertainment. They already have done their due diligence on such a project. The team's 2019 championship run definitely gave the team the edge in the rising value, seeing their value grow more than 400% since 2012 when the team's estimated worth was $400 million. In the last decade, womens college basketball has become one of the most popular sports in the state with Oregon and Oregon State ranking among the top 25 nationally in attendance per game from 2017 to 2020. The league knows everything about what this is going to look like (regarding) Toronto.. 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.. If you look at the NFL, were getting $10.1 billion a year for television and the WNBA is getting $30 million a year. High point: Stiles, on the heels of a magical run to the Final Four with Missouri State, winning WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2001 -- yes, over Seattle's Lauren Jackson, which really shouldn't have happened. For example, a citys population, political affiliation and policies, and generational demographics will be factors, Engelbert said, as the league knows it already skews to young and female fans. 1 pick, and got them to the WNBA Finals for six of the next seven seasons. MVPs: Elena Delle Donne (2015) We really want to set up new owners for success., Engelbert estimates an 18- to 24-month timeline from the identification of a new team to its inaugural season. The remaining 24.2 percent were moderately interested. When asked to rate their interest in a particular sport on a scale of 1 to 5, womens professional soccer was the favorite option while womens professional basketball ranked second. Previous transactions have valued WNBA teams in that range, showing only middling growth in franchise values over the last 20 years. 10. Value: $2.75 billion. 4 pick in the 2006 draft, and a trade for Wauters in 2008, and the Stars had the core of their best team, which went 24-10 in 2008. Dolan put the Liberty on the market in 2017, and Brooklyn Nets owner Joseph Tsai bought them in 2019. Two years later, Michael Alter reportedly paid $10 million for an expansion team in Chicago. But when she has been on the court, it has made all the difference for the Mystics. Help Accessibility Others who had been with the 2009 Shock but did go to Tulsa -- such as Plenette Pierson, Shavonte Zellous and Kara Braxton -- were traded during that first season by coach/general manager Nolan Richardson. Regular-season record: 72-44 Then Connecticut fired Thibault after the 2012 season, and the Mystics finally had a long-term coach. Add in Young-Malcolm as the No. 10. 1 pick. It averaged 75,000 viewers per regular season game in 2017, according to Nielsen, but that more than doubled to 162,000 viewers per nationally televised game last season. In 2009, the Detroit Shock sold for approximately $5 million, based on legal documents filed by its then-owners. The Sparks are owned by Hollywood entertainment industry couple Harry and Pamela Manheimer. These areas are supported by applying financial metrics such as debt and operating income to each one.. High point: Finishing first (22-10) in the Eastern Conference in 2001, their best season. The New York Liberty, Las Vegas Aces and Atlanta Dream have all been sold in recent years, but the sales prices for all three franchises are in that range. 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. The Sparks were originally based in San Francisco but moved to Los Angeles in 2005. But the Liberty haven't been that far since 2002 and haven't had a winning record since 2017. They also own MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers and NFL's Los Angeles Rams. Low point: The franchise folded during the height of the global financial crisis, after the 2008 season. The Mohegan Tribe in Connecticut, which had an arena at the Mohegan Sun Casino and wanted to capitalize on the popularity of women's basketball in the state thanks to UConn, bought the Miracle. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. At the end of the Dreams first season, the Houston Comets the franchise that won the WNBAs first four championships ceased to exist. Unlike other professional leagues, like the NFL and NBA, where playoffs are determined by conference or division winners, the WNBAplayoffs are determined by the teams that finish with the top eight records, so adding a single team wouldnt change that much of the equation. Regular-season record: 422-390 League all-time leaders: Sue Bird in assists (3,031) and games (545) For the 2016-17 season, Forbes reported, NBA revenue was $7.4 billion. It has been nearly 15 years since the WNBA last expanded, adding the Atlanta Dream as its then-14th team before the 2008 season. The brothers also own NHL's Chicago Blackhawks, and before that, had an interest in the Indianapolis Pacers of the NBA. Get the list of all the WNBA Teams along with the wins and losses stats and more on Basketball-Reference.com Low point: The Fever are in it now -- their fifth consecutive losing season. New Orleans Pelicans: $1.35 billion. They had been the Orlando Miracle, affiliated with the Orlando Magic, and were just getting established after four seasons. It has a rabid basketball fan base, with love for not only the 76ers but five local college teams. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. The Stars then won Game 3 and made their only WNBA Finals appearance. Fortunately, there was soon a move to Las Vegas. Since the Knicks haven't posted their financial statements online like most other teams, they were given an exemption by Forbes to be able to calculate their value. The WNBA was founded with only eight teams. Austin Crumble. The Charlotte Sting, Cleveland Rockers, Houston Comets, and New York Liberty were in the Eastern Conference. Face of the franchise: Alyssa Thomas (2014-present) And twice, the organization has gotten back-to-back No. The WNBA has produced an average net loss of $10M per year. Following the funding, the valuation of the WNBA and its teams . This is a BETA experience. Were going to try to change the narrative and change the actual quantitative valuation model, Engelbert said. Low point: Losing the 2012 Eastern finals to Indiana, after which coach Mike Thibault was fired and went to Washington. At his highest, Joe Tsai was worth nearly $15 billion but over the past two years has . Playoff appearances (record): Six (6-13) Plus, help in the form of two consecutive No. Then COVID hit. Force 10 has never wavered in its commitment to the WNBA and the Seattle community. Meanwhile the average overall WNBA ticket price is $47 on SeatGeek. Among the new owners is former Dream star Renee Montgomery, who retired to fight for social justice. Sources also have connected South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, a Philadelphia native, to the group. Every team in the league is worth at least $1.5 billion, per Forbes' estimates. For the first time, there are three NBAfranchisesworthmore than$5 billion:theNew York Knicks (No. Face of the franchise: Diana Taurasi (2004-present) Regular-season record: 59-145 Championships: None Expansion could allow the league to increase its schedule the WNBA is already playing a record 36 games this season and to offer broadcast partners a larger content package, or give it more inventory to split among interested buyers. The value of their franchise is $125 million. The global financial crisis of 2007-08 took a toll on the WNBA, which lost Charlotte in January 2007, Houston in December 2008 and Sacramento in December 2009. Williams, a two-sport All-American in basketball and volleyball at UCLA, was the Starzz' best player after she came from the ABL, and was also was a Utah native. Regular-season record: 60-68 By 2003, all but one team was breaking even or losing money. Adding international commercial travel to league scheduling would only exacerbate the problem. Former baseball star Alex Rodriguez and businessman Marc Lore are in the process of buying the Timberwolves/Lynx. At only 31 years old, she is a five-time WNBA All-Star, a three-time All-WNBA First Team honouree, the WNBA's Most Improved Player, and many other notable accomplishments. But McCoughtry was injured late in the 2018 season, didn't play in 2019 and left as a free agent for Las Vegas in 2020. Other notable stars: Tully Bevilaqua, Sylvia Crawley, Kristin Folkl, DeMya Walker, Sophia Witherspoon. After two seasons playing in White Plains, New York, and last year in the bubble in Bradenton, Florida, the Liberty are now at Barclays Center full time. Nike, of course, has serious ties to the league. Other, smaller pieces of teams where the buyers obtained no path toward control also changed hands at prices above our last edition of NBA valuations. The average NHL team is worth an estimated $930 million, compared to $3.5 billion in the NFL, $2.3 billion in the NBA and $2.2 billion in MLB. Were a very different league when some of those transactions occurred. When the new team, or teams, enter the WNBA, it will mark the long-awaited end to a process that has already reached critical mass. Franchise journey: The Fever debuted in the third wave of expansion in 2000 along with Seattle, as well as Miami and Portland, both of which were soon defunct. MVPs: Yolanda Griffith (1999) Though Oakland is the 45th-biggest American city by population, its larger than two current WNBAmarkets (Minneapolis and Uncasville, Conn.), and the Bay Area comprising San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose is the nations sixth-largest media market. 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. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. Revealing those values is taboo across the league. Top editors give you the stories you want delivered right to your inbox each weekday. The Fever haven't made the playoffs since she retired after the 2016 season. Franchise journey: The Dream are the last expansion franchise to join the WNBA, in 2008. This recent history of the NBA's salary cap tells us again that Cuban's story isn't quite right. With an ownership group already vetted by the NBA and their own arena, the Warriors loom as a strong option if the league decides to enter the fray to bring an expansion team to the Bay Area. Franchise journey: After the 2002 season the WNBA was ready for independent ownership outside of NBA franchises, and the Sun were the first to go that route. Bonner, Delle Donne and Diggins-Smith all . Tulsa went 7-38 under Richardson, who resigned 11 games into his second season. And the Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Sacramento Monarchs, and Utah Starzz were in the Western Conference. 2 draft pick in 1998, as a great guard-post combo. While WNBA statistics have yet to be revealed, a number of those teams are said to have been supported by NBA ownership. Regular-season record: 71-113 Our figures include revenue that team owners get from non-NBA events at their arena. Excitingly for the league, the average cost of WNBA tickets has an opportunity to rise even further today. After she retired following the 2014 season, the Stars went 23-79 in their last three seasons in Texas before moving to Las Vegas to become the Aces. But they fell to Charlotte in the East semifinals. Its the Warriors, one person involved in the process said. Engelberts valuations, and the math to get there, give the WNBAs first public declaration of how much its teams are worth, or perceived to be worth, over the last few years. Additional research by Justin Teitelbaum. Just as he cited the old American Football League in explaining why he chose to make Becky Hammon the leagues first million-dollar salaried coach, he used it to explain the need for more revenue. And for the upcoming 2021 season, ESPN has split the difference, dropping to 25 games. Powers, who won a title with the Washington Mystics in 2019, recently signed a new contract to join the Minnesota Lynx. Meanwhile, Shock assistant Cheryl Reeve left to take over at Minnesota, starting a dynasty there. Furthermore, she has played for many prominent teams. 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. Low point: Star center Leslie missing the 2007 season on pregnancy leave. Franchise journey: An original WNBA franchise, the Sting were first owned by the Charlotte Hornets and made the playoffs six of their first seven seasons. But the Wings haven't done much yet, losing single-elimination games in their two playoff appearances. The Atlanta Dream is changing ownership hands, putting an end to more than a year's worth of controversy under its former co-owner, ex-Senator Kelly Loeffler. In 1998, there were only two teams who were making money: the Houston Comets and the Charlotte Hornets. To date, the Monarchs are the last WNBA franchise to fold. Playoff appearances (record): 15 (41-34) Championships: Three (2001, 2002, 2016) Playoff appearances (record): 12 (30-28) Laksa plays in the forward position and was originally . We opted to rank the franchises separately rather than group Utah/San Antonio/Las Vegas, Detroit/Tulsa/Dallas and Orlando/Connecticut. When you think about NBA teams or MLB teams, NFL teams, people paid for what the value is, not necessarily what they are worth in that moment.
