76 deals since 1998
Every NBA team sale since 1998
The highest value put on a whole NBA team has gone from $150M to $12.5B in 28 years. Here is every deal this site found since 1998, and the story behind each new high.
How the top price climbed
The line steps up each time a sale of control set a new high for the value of a whole team. The dots are all the other deals with a published value. The scale is logarithmic: each gridline is about three times the one below.
Each new high, one by one
15 deals that set a new high. Only sales of control with a published value for the whole team count; deals that bundled other teams or an arena are left out, and so is the Mavericks' 2000 sale ($285M for a majority), because the share bought was not published.
- 1998BKNBrooklyn Nets$150M
Where this page starts
A group led by Lewis Katz and Raymond Chambers bought the team, aiming to move it to Newark.
- 2000MEMMemphis Grizzlies$160M
1.1 times the previous high
Michael Heisley bought the Vancouver Grizzlies from John McCaw Jr.'s Orca Bay and moved the team to Memphis the next year.
- 2001OKCOklahoma City Thunder$200M
January · 1.2 times the previous high
Howard Schultz's group bought the Seattle SuperSonics and the WNBA's Storm from the Ackerley Group. Five years later it sold both for $350M to Clay Bennett's group, which moved the team to Oklahoma City in 2008.
- 2002BOSBoston Celtics$360M
1.8 times the previous high
Boston Basketball Partners, led by the Grousbeck family, bought the whole team from Paul Gaston. In 2025 it sold control at a valuation 17 times that price.
- 2004PHXPhoenix Suns$401M
April · 1.1 times the previous high
Robert Sarver's group bought the team from Jerry Colangelo's group, with the Mercury and an arena-football team.
- 2010GSWGolden State Warriors$450M
November · 1.1 times the previous high
Joe Lacob and Peter Guber led a group that bought the whole franchise from Chris Cohan; NBA owners approved it unanimously. Forbes now values the Warriors at $13.5B, the most in the league.
- 2013SACSacramento Kings$534M
May · 1.2 times the previous high
Vivek Ranadivé's group bought 65% from the Maloof family. Earlier that year the Maloofs had agreed to sell to Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer, who planned to move the team to Seattle.
- 2014MILMilwaukee Bucks$550M
April · 1.0 times the previous high
Wes Edens and Marc Lasry bought the team from Herb Kohl, who had paid $18M in 1985. The deal had a condition: without a new arena by about 2017-18, the league could take the team back.
- 2014LACLos Angeles Clippers$2B
August · 3.6 times the previous high
Steve Ballmer bought 100% of the team after the NBA banned Donald Sterling for life; Shelly Sterling sold as trustee of the family trust. Mark Walter, now in control of the Lakers, was a losing bidder.
- 2017HOUHouston Rockets$2.2B
October · 1.1 times the previous high
Tilman Fertitta bought 100% from Leslie Alexander, who had paid $85M in 1993.
- 2019BKNBrooklyn Nets$2.35B
September · 1.1 times the previous high
Joe Tsai took up his option on the other 51% of the team, a year after buying 49% at a $2.3B valuation. It was then a record for a US team.
- 2023PHXPhoenix Suns$4B
February · 1.7 times the previous high
Mat Ishbia bought a reported 57% after the NBA suspended Robert Sarver for a year and fined him $10M following a workplace-conduct investigation.
- 2025BOSBoston Celtics$6.1B
August · 1.5 times the previous high
Bill Chisholm's group won the auction in March 2025 and bought 51%; the valuation was then a record for control of a North American team. The last 49% is due in 2028.
- 2025LALLos Angeles Lakers$10B
October · 1.6 times the previous high
Mark Walter bought majority control from the Buss family trust, which kept 17.8%. The deal closed in October 2025.
- 2026LALLos Angeles Lakers$12.5B
August · 1.2 times the previous highAgreed, not closed
Walter agreed on 12 August 2026 to sell about 65% to a group led by Josh Kushner, with Bob Iger. The deal awaits an NBA vote expected in November.
All 76 deals
38 sales of control, 32 minority stakes and 6 agreed deals not yet closed, newest first. The value column is what the deal implied for the whole team.
| When | Team | Type | What happened | Share | Team value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2028 | BOSBoston Celtics | Agreed | Agreed: last 49% due in 2028 at a reported $7.3B (Boston Globe: about $6.6B) | 49% | $7.3B |
| Oct 2026 | TORToronto Raptors | Stake | Rogers buys Kilmer's last 25% of MLSE for C$4.35B (US$3.06B); MLSE valued at C$17.4B, about US$12.2B implied | 25% | $12.24Bincludes more than the team |
| Aug 2026 | LALLos Angeles Lakers | Agreed | Kushner-Iger group to buy about 65% | 65% | $12.5B |
| Aug 2026 | LALLos Angeles Lakers | Agreed | Buss trust votes to sell 17.8% | 17.8% | $12.5B |
| Aug 2026 | MINMinnesota Timberwolves | Agreed | Marc Stad agrees to buy most of Lore's stake and control at a $4.5B valuation, with the Lynx | — | $4.5B |
| Jul 2026 | CLECleveland Cavaliers | Stake | Blue Owl HomeCourt fund buys 5% to 10%; Sportico's source valued the team plus the 2028 WNBA team at about $5.5B | — | $5.5B |
| Mar 2026 | PORPortland Trail Blazers | Control | Dundon group buys 80.1% from the Paul G. Allen Trust at a $4.0B valuation | 80.1% | $4B |
| Mar 2026 | PORPortland Trail Blazers | Agreed | Allen Trust's remaining 19.9% due by 1 Sept 2028 at a $4.5B valuation | 19.9% | $4.5B |
| Dec 2025 | WASWashington Wizards | Agreed | QIA and Arctos agree to buy Laurene Powell Jobs's Monumental stake at a $7.2B company value including debt; closing not reported | — | $7.2Bincludes more than the team |
| Oct 2025 | LALLos Angeles Lakers | Control | Walter buys control from Buss family | — | $10B |
| Aug 2025 | BOSBoston Celtics | Control | Chisholm group buys 51% at a $6.1B valuation | 51% | $6.1B |
| Aug 2025 | BOSBoston Celtics | Stake | Sixth Street takes about 12.5% at the $6.1B valuation | 12.5% | $6.1B |
| Jul 2025 | TORToronto Raptors | Control | Rogers buys Bell's 37.5% of MLSE for C$4.7B (about US$3.45B); MLSE valued at C$12.5B, about US$9.2B implied | 37.5% | $9.2Bincludes more than the team |
| Jun 2025 | MINMinnesota Timberwolves | Control | Lore and Rodriguez take control from Glen Taylor at a $1.5B valuation, with the Lynx | — | $1.5B |
| May 2025 | BOSBoston Celtics | Stake | Aditya Mittal invests about $1B at the $6.1B valuation | — | $6.1B |
| Sep 2024 | MILMilwaukee Bucks | Stake | Junior Bridgeman buys 10% from small holders; price undisclosed, CNBC first reported a $4B team valuation | 10% | $4B |
| Jun 2024 | BKNBrooklyn Nets | Stake | Koch family buys 15% of BSE Global (Nets, Liberty, arena rights) for $688M at a $6B enterprise value | 15% | $6Bincludes more than the team |
| Dec 2023 | DALDallas Mavericks | Control | Adelson and Dumont families buy 69% from Mark Cuban at a valuation of about $3.5B | 69% | $3.5B |
| Nov 2023 | INDIndiana Pacers | Stake | Steven Rales buys a further 15% at a $3.47B valuation (Forbes lists $525M), taking him to 20% | 15% | $3.47B |
| Aug 2023 | CHACharlotte Hornets | Control | Schnall and Plotkin group buys control from Michael Jordan at about $3B | — | $3B |
| Jun 2023 | WASWashington Wizards | Stake | Qatar Investment Authority buys about 5% of Monumental at $4.05B (whole company: Wizards, Capitals, Mystics, arena) | 5% | $4.05Bincludes more than the team |
| Apr 2023 | MILMilwaukee Bucks | Stake | Jimmy and Dee Haslam buy Marc Lasry's 25% for $800M at a $3.2B valuation (first reports: $875M at $3.5B) | 25% | $3.2B |
| Feb 2023 | PHXPhoenix Suns | Control | Ishbia buys a reported 57% | 57% | $4B |
| 2023 | SASSan Antonio Spurs | Stake | Aramark sells about half of its stake for about $100M to an undisclosed buyer; stake size not published | — | Not published |
| 2023 | TORToronto Raptors | Stake | OMERS pays US$400M for an indirect 5% of MLSE, implying about US$8B for MLSE | 5% | $8Bincludes more than the team |
| Nov 2022 | WASWashington Wizards | Stake | Jeff Skoll buys under 10% of Monumental for about $300M; Forbes puts the Wizards at $2.5B within a $4.1B company value | — | $2.5Bincludes more than the team |
| Oct 2022 | PHIPhiladelphia 76ers | Stake | Michael Rubin sells about 10% of HBSE at about a $2.5B valuation, mostly to David Adelman | 10% | $2.5Bincludes more than the team |
| Aug 2022 | UTAUtah Jazz | Stake | Millers sell about 10% to Arctos and a partner; one account puts the value at $2.25B | 10% | $2.25B |
| Jun 2022 | PHIPhiladelphia 76ers | Stake | Arctos buys more than 5% of parent HBSE at about a $3B valuation (HBSE, not the team alone) | — | $3Bincludes more than the team |
| Jan 2022 | ATLAtlanta Hawks | Stake | Dyal HomeCourt Partners (Blue Owl) buys about 6% from minority partners at about $2B | 6% | $2B |
| 2022 | MINMinnesota Timberwolves | Stake | Lore and Rodriguez buy a further 20% at the $1.5B valuation (one account says 16% in 2023) | 20% | $1.5B |
| Dec 2021 | GSWGolden State Warriors | Stake | Arctos raises stake to 13% | 8% | $5.5B |
| Sep 2021 | SACSacramento Kings | Stake | Arctos buys about 17% | 17% | $1.8B |
| Jul 2021 | LALLos Angeles Lakers | Stake | Walter and Boehly buy Anschutz's 27% | 27% | $5B |
| Jul 2021 | MINMinnesota Timberwolves | Stake | Lore and Rodriguez buy first 20% at a $1.5B valuation, with the Lynx | 20% | $1.5B |
| Jul 2021 | PHXPhoenix Suns | Stake | Dyal HomeCourt buys under 5% | — | $1.55B |
| Jul 2021 | SACSacramento Kings | Stake | Dyal buys about 5%, $1.5B-$1.8B | 5% | $1.5B |
| Jun 2021 | SASSan Antonio Spurs | Stake | Sixth Street buys 20% at a reported $1.8B valuation | 20% | $1.8B |
| Jun 2021 | SASSan Antonio Spurs | Stake | Michael Dell buys 10% at the same reported $1.8B valuation | 10% | $1.8B |
| May 2021 | GSWGolden State Warriors | Stake | Arctos buys 5% at about $5.5B | 5% | $5.5B |
| Dec 2020 | UTAUtah Jazz | Control | Ryan Smith group buys 80% from the Millers in a deal reported at $1.66B, arena included | 80% | $1.66Bincludes more than the team |
| Sep 2019 | BKNBrooklyn Nets | Control | Tsai buys the other 51% at a $2.35B valuation | 51% | $2.35B |
| Sep 2019 | CHACharlotte Hornets | Stake | Gabe Plotkin and Daniel Sundheim buy a minority stake from Jordan at a $1.5B valuation | — | $1.5B |
| Apr 2018 | MEMMemphis Grizzlies | Stake | Pera buys out Steve Kaplan and Daniel Straus (about 28% to 30% combined) at a valuation ESPN put at $1.3B to $1.4B; the midpoint is shown | — | $1.35Bworked out from the price |
| 2018 | BKNBrooklyn Nets | Stake | Joe Tsai buys 49% at a $2.3B valuation | 49% | $2.3B |
| Oct 2017 | HOUHouston Rockets | Control | Tilman Fertitta buys 100% from Leslie Alexander for $2.2B | 100% | $2.2B |
| Dec 2015 | BKNBrooklyn Nets | Stake | Prokhorov buys the last 20% of the team and 55% of the arena; $1.7B reported for both | 20% | Not published |
| Jun 2015 | ATLAtlanta Hawks | Control | Ressler group buys the Hawks and arena rights from Atlanta Spirit for $850M including assumed debt | 100% | $850Mincludes more than the team |
| Aug 2014 | LACLos Angeles Clippers | Control | Ballmer buys 100% from Sterling trust | 100% | $2B |
| Apr 2014 | MILMilwaukee Bucks | Control | Wes Edens and Marc Lasry agree to buy the team from Herb Kohl for $550M; NBA approval followed in May | — | $550M |
| May 2013 | SACSacramento Kings | Control | Ranadivé group buys 65% from Maloofs | 65% | $534M |
| Oct 2012 | MEMMemphis Grizzlies | Control | Robert Pera's group (Memphis Basketball LLC) buys the team from Michael Heisley for $377M | 100% | $377M |
| Aug 2012 | TORToronto Raptors | Control | Rogers and Bell buy 79.53% of MLSE for C$1.32B, implying about C$1.66B for MLSE | 79.53% | Not published |
| Apr 2012 | NOPNew Orleans Pelicans | Control | Tom Benson buys the team from the NBA for $338M | 100% | $338M |
| Oct 2011 | PHIPhiladelphia 76ers | Control | Harris group buys the team from Comcast Spectacor | 100% | $280M |
| Jun 2011 | DETDetroit Pistons | Control | Tom Gores and Platinum Equity buy the team, The Palace and DTE Energy Music Theatre from Karen Davidson for $325M | 100% | $325Mincludes more than the team |
| Dec 2010 | NOPNew Orleans Pelicans | Control | The NBA buys the team from George Shinn and Gary Chouest for an estimated $300M | 100% | $300M |
| Nov 2010 | GSWGolden State Warriors | Control | Lacob-Guber group buys from Cohan | 100% | $450M |
| Jun 2010 | WASWashington Wizards | Control | Leonsis takes control from the Pollin estate; team and arena valued at $551M | — | $551Mincludes more than the team |
| May 2010 | BKNBrooklyn Nets | Control | Prokhorov pays $223M for 80% of the team plus 45% of the arena company | 80% | Not published |
| Mar 2010 | CHACharlotte Hornets | Control | Michael Jordan buys control from Robert Johnson; Forbes puts the enterprise value at $175M ($275M per AP, counting pledges) | — | $175Mincludes more than the team |
| 2007 | NOPNew Orleans Pelicans | Stake | Gary Chouest buys 25% from George Shinn for about $62M (whole-team value computed from price and stake) | 25% | $248Mworked out from the price |
| Oct 2006 | OKCOklahoma City Thunder | Control | Clay Bennett group buys SuperSonics and Storm for $350M | — | $350M |
| Mar 2005 | CLECleveland Cavaliers | Control | Dan Gilbert buys control from Gordon Gund for a reported $375M; Gund kept a minority stake until 2021 | — | $375M |
| Apr 2004 | PHXPhoenix Suns | Control | Sarver buys Suns, Mercury and Rattlers | 100% | $401M |
| Mar 2004 | ATLAtlanta Hawks | Control | Atlanta Spirit buys 85% of a package of the Hawks, the NHL Thrashers and arena rights for $250M; package value computed, not the Hawks alone | 85% | $294Mincludes more than the team |
| 2004 | BKNBrooklyn Nets | Control | Bruce Ratner group buys the team from YankeeNets | 100% | $300M |
| Dec 2002 | CHACharlotte Hornets | Control | Robert Johnson awarded the new Charlotte team for a $300M expansion fee | 100% | $300M |
| 2002 | BOSBoston Celtics | Control | Grousbeck-led Boston Basketball Partners buys the team from Paul Gaston | 100% | $360M |
| Jan 2001 | OKCOklahoma City Thunder | Control | Howard Schultz group buys SuperSonics and Storm for $200M | — | $200M |
| Jul 2000 | DENDenver Nuggets | Control | Kroenke buys Nuggets, Avalanche and arena for a $450M package; Liberty Media keeps 6.5% | — | $450Mincludes more than the team |
| Jan 2000 | DALDallas Mavericks | Control | Mark Cuban buys the majority stake plus half the arena lease rights from the Ross Perot Jr. group for $285M ($280M per Forbes); whole-team value not published | — | Not published |
| 2000 | MEMMemphis Grizzlies | Control | Michael Heisley buys the team from John McCaw Jr.'s Orca Bay for US$160M | — | $160M |
| 1999 | CHACharlotte Hornets | Stake | Ray Wooldridge buys a reported 49% of the original Hornets for $80M (Memphis Flyer only); implied value computed | 49% | $163Mworked out from the price |
| Feb 1998 | TORToronto Raptors | Control | Maple Leaf Gardens buys the team and unfinished arena for C$467M (team C$179M) | 100% | Not published |
| 1998 | BKNBrooklyn Nets | Control | Lewis Katz and Raymond Chambers group buys the team | 100% | $150M |
Prices and shares as reported at the time. Values for parent companies (MLSE, Monumental, HBSE, BSE Global) are for the whole company, not the team alone. Each team page shows its own deals on its value chart.
Quick answers
What is the most expensive NBA team sale?
The highest completed deal valued the Los Angeles Lakers at $10B, in 2025. An agreed sale of the Los Angeles Lakers at a $12.5B valuation (2026) awaits NBA approval.
How much have NBA team prices risen?
The top price for an NBA team has gone from $150M (the Nets, 1998) to $12.5B in 2026, about 83 times as much.