NBA teams’ value is at an all-time high, and owners are starting to cash in. Earlier this year, Wyc Grousbeck sold the Celtics to Bill Chisholm at a valuation of $6.1 billion. The largest ever for a North American sports franchise at the time. This week, Jeanie Buss shattered that record by reportedly selling Lakers’ majority ownership to LA Dodgers chairman Mark Walter at a whopping $10 billion valuation. With NBA’s two biggest franchises embracing the massive shift, many are left wondering if Joe Lacob would be next to hop on this trend by selling the Warriors.
Well, Lacob led an ownership group that purchased the Bay Area franchise back in 2010 at $450 million. Fifteen years and four championships later, that valuation has skyrocketed to $9.4 billion, per CNBC’s February report. That number could be much higher now, considering Warriors were the league’s most valuable franchise at the time and Lakers were valued at $7 billion. While selling the Warriors would add billions to Lacob’s bank account, veteran insiders Anthony Slater, Marcus Thompson, and Tim Kawakami claim the owner has no intention of relinquishing control.
“I’ve been told though that’s not even a consideration. There’s no way.” The analyst remarked. Reason? Turns out, Lacob believes his team can win more championships in the coming years which would further increase the value of the franchise. “If you’re Lacob, you’re going ‘if it’s worth $10 billion now, it’s gonna be worth $20 billion in three years. Why sell now?’ All it does is it gets more valuable. He’s convinced they’re gonna keep winning championships. We’ll see about that but that’s the way he thinks.”
Lacob’s intentions are evident from his actions. Earlier this year, when most analysts counted them out, they pulled off the blockbuster Jimmy Butler trade to boost their chances of title contention. Although they got knocked out in the second round, partially due to Stephen Curry’s unfortunate injury, Lacob has not changed his mind about going for another chip. His aggressive pursuit to add more pieces to the core of Steph, Jimmy, and Draymond continues this summer. As long as Steph is playing at a high level, it is unlikely that management and ownership will pivot from their current vision. Moreover, Lacob has massive goals for the Warriors’ female counterparts.
Joe Lacob unlikely to follow Jeanie Buss’ footsteps amid championship aspirations for Warriors and Valkyries
When Stephen Curry and Co. won their fourth title three years ago, Lacob showed no signs of slowing down, “We’re ready to come back next year and do it again.” Even his co-owner Peter Guber shared a similar sentiment, “I’m so proud of what you’ve done. I’m so proud of being a part of it and guess what? We’re going to have a sequel!” They are still seeking their fifth ring with the Warriors that will further solidify their legacy as owners.
Meanwhile, Lacob has similar aspirations for the Warriors’ WNBA counterparts, the Valkyries. Yes, Joe is also the owner of the newly expanded WNBA Bay Area team and made a bold claim even before their journey began, “I’m telling you right now, we will win a WNBA championship in the first five years of this franchise.”
Nov 12, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob on the sideline after a loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
Per the analysts on the Warriors Plus Minus podcast, the Valkyries are already worth $600 million. That value will increase exponentially if the team is able to meet Lacob’s expectations and add some hardware to their trophy cabinet. Sure, the opportunity to sell these franchises and rake in over $10 billion like Jeanie is enticing. Even the analysts said, “Speaking of Joe Lacob, I don’t know, if I’m him I might be putting the Warriors up for sale right now… I’d be thinking about it. $450 million to $10 billion in 15 years?” But Lacob seems unbothered by this desire, at least for now, because he continues to have championship aspirations as an owner for both, Warriors and Valkyries. Maybe, once he achieves that goal, he will revisit the idea of following in Buss and Grousbeck’s footsteps. What do you think?
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