The Miami Dolphins has scaled its valuation once again after Chinese billionaire Lin Bin has acquired a minority stake in the NFL franchise.
Chinese billionaire Lin Bin has acquired a minority stake in NFL franchise the Miami Dolphins.
The transaction, first reported by Sportico, was approved by the NFL’s finance committee board but is subject to approval from the NFL Board of Governors.
If approved, the 1% minority stake Bin acquired would raise the Dolphins’ valuation to $12.5bn, a record for a minority transaction. Forbes estimated the franchise’s valuation at $7.5bn before the start of the 2025/26 season.
The NFL introduced new investment and ownership rules in August 2024 to allow private equity and investment firms to buy up to 10% stakes into franchises.
The Miami Dolphins, majority owned by Stephen Ross, were one of the first franchises to enact this. In December 2024, the franchise announced Ares Management would acquire a 10% stake, while Brooklyn Nets owners Joe Tsai and Oliver Weisberg secured a 3% share between them.
Bin is the Vice-Chairman of the Chinese electronic company Xiaomi, which he co-founded in 2010. He served as the company’s President until 2019, when he stepped down into his current position. Bin has American citizenship and previously worked for Microsoft and Google before Xiaomi.
His current net worth is an estimated $10.5bn according to Forbes, with Xiaomi’s total assets net worth being $35.28bn as of June 2025, according to Company Market Cap.
New NFL rules, new valuations
The latest Dolphins investment follows league-wide investment as the new NFL investment and ownership rules continue to provide franchise’s additional capital.
The rules state new investors must adhere to a six-year holding period and not exceed a maximum of six investments across multiple NFL franchises. Direct investment from sovereign wealth funds is prohibited. Controlling/majority owners can sell up to a maximum of 10% in an NFL franchise, but no lower than 3%.
The most recent minority ownership acquisition came in December 2025, when OpenAI Chairman Bret Taylor acquired a 1% stake in the San Francisco 49ers. This saw the 49ers valuation climb to $9bn as a result.
The Bay area team also sold off stakes in the past to bring on the likes of ICONIQ Capital’s Will Griffith, Sun Microsystems’ Vinod Khosla, and Venture Partner’s Bryron Deeter, with each acquiring 6.2% stakes.
The New England Patriot’s valuation surged to $9bn after private capital firm Sixth Street and US financier Dean Metropoulos acquired a 3% and 5% stake, respectively, in September 2025.
With the New York Giants also scaling its valuation to over $10bn following similar minority investment deals, the average valuation of all NFL franchises has increased by 25% since the league brought in the new rules in 2024.
Before the start of the 2025/26 season, Forbes estimated the average valuation of an NFL franchise was $7.1bn, an increase from the $5.4bn average the year before.
