It has been less than a month since the 2025/26 NBA season kicked off, but the league is already projecting an increase in revenue from the season before.
The NBA is projected to make up to $14.3bn in league-wide revenue according to sources familiar with the forecast, cited by Sportico.
The league’s revenue last year was $12.75bn and the 2025/26 season’s projections would see this increase by 12%.
Financial forecasts were shared with NBA franchise shareholders in September 2025, according to the report, and takes into account the NBA’s revenue, as well as teams’ revenues including broadcast rights, sponsorships, and ticket sales.
The new 11-year, $76bn broadcast rights deal which is in its first-year this season is the primary attributor to the $14.3bn projection. ESPN/ABC retained its broadcast rights, while NBC returned as an NBA broadcaster for the first time since 2002 and Amazon Prime Video acquired rights for the first time.
The broadcast rights money shared between the 30 NBA franchises this season is expected to increase by 7% from $103mto $143m. Future forecasts expect team broadcast right revenue to rise to $281m for the 2034/35 season, when the current deal expires.
If the league succeeds in generating $14.3bn, this would see all NBA franchises earn $476m on average. In the 2024/25 season, teams earned an average of $408m in revenue.
Valuations are also surging
In June 2025, the Los Angeles Lakers was sold for an NBA record of $10bn and became the latest in several franchise sales across the league over the past several years.
The Boston Celtics was sold for a then-record fee of $6.1bn just a few months before the Lakers sale. Other recent franchise sales include the Phoenix Suns for $4.2bn in December 2022, the Charlotte Hornets for $3bn in August 2023, and Dallas Mavericks for $3.5bn in December 2023.
Interest in NBA franchises are surging and so too are the valuations. Forbes revealed in October the average valuation of an NBA franchise is now $5.4bn, a 21% increase from last year.
The Golden State Warriors is the most valuable franchise in the league at $11bn, followed by the Lakers ($10bn), New York Knicks ($9.75bn), Los Angeles Clippers ($7.5bn), and the Celtics ($6.7bn).
Forbes cited league insider sources who revealed there is a “NBA ownership waiting list” which “is so long that multiples are likely to stay elevated, at least in the near term”.
NBA Europe league another revenue driver?
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has accelerated plans to launch a potential Europe-based league, and it now has a tentative launch date.
George Aivazoglou, NBA Managing Director, Europe and Middle East, spoke at a football business forum in Milan on November 7 citing Manchester and Lyon as two markets the league would be interested in establishing as a 16-team league.
Other European cities poised for an NBA franchise include Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Milan, Munich Paris, and Rome.
October 2027 has now been earmarked as a launch date for the NBA Europe league, but not officially finalised.
A 16-team league structure would see all franchises compete in a regular season with the highest placed teams competing in a play-off to determine the champion. There is also the potential for a tournament to be established which would see NBA US and European teams compete against each other.
“It would be a new competition bringing together NBA and NBA Europe teams – down the line, an NBA Cup format with American and European teams, or a tournament like last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, as part of an increasingly integrated framework,” said Aivazoglou.
It remains unclear how the franchises would be invested. Many of the proposed European markets for franchises are already home to current EuroLeague teams, such as FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
