Over the past decade, the Golden State Warriors elevated their franchise into rarefied territory. It has gone from a money-losing club in the NBA’s oldest building to a financial juggernaut in a new $1.4 billion arena. And after being out of the playoffs 17 of 18 years, the Dubs added four NBA championships to their trophy. This year, the team tops major market franchises in New York and Los Angeles as the NBA’s most valuable franchise with a $7.56 billion valuation in Jock‘s, which will be released on Tuesday.
The Warriors separated themselves from the rest of the NBA on the business side of the game. Gross revenue topped $800 million last season, 50% more than any other NBA franchise. He could hit $900 million this year with a long playoff streak. Golden State needs to look outside of basketball for comps. The Warriors’ revenue gap is even bigger than a pair of dominant brands in other sports – the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys– who generate around 40% and 25% more revenue than the number two in their league. These three franchises are the only ones in the world worth $7 billion, with the Cowboys edging out the Warriors at $7.64 billion.
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Yet the Warriors managing partner Joe Lacob look beyond the NBA for the club’s next chapter. “Our basketball team will always be our primary focus,” Lacob said in a phone interview. “But I see our future as a sports, entertainment, media and technology company.” He highlights how Disney diversified its business from starting with animated films and adding theme parks, fully transforming into a global media and entertainment conglomerate with a market value of $170 billion. “There’s no reason we can’t do some of these things long term,” he said.
Lacob threw tires for many teams in different sports before he, Peter Guber and their group of investors paid $450 million for the Warriors in 2010. “I was nervous because the team hadn’t played for so many years being out of the playoffs, and business wasn’t very good either,” Lacob said. He cites sponsor and sequel revenue stuck in the single-digit millions and losing “a lot” of money on just over $100 million in revenue.
One of his first major hires was Rick Welts, who spent a decade as Warriors president after a successful stint in Phoenix. “Winning follows Rick everywhere,” former NBA executive Terry Lyons said in a phone interview. The club strengthened its sales staff and got a boost on the pitch as its win tally doubled in the 2012-13 season with an outstanding performance from Stephen Curry. The point guard would then lead the Warriors to five straight NBA Finals, winning three, before the Chase Center opened in 2019 seasons as well,” Warriors chief financial officer Josh Proctor said in a Zoom interview.
New arena turbocharged Warriors business, but full range wasn’t realized until last season after two years impacted by COVID-19. Revenue from sponsorships ($150 million) and premium seats ($250 million) more than doubled for any other NBA franchise. Ticket revenue per game increased by 35%. The Warriors have over $3 billion in contract revenue.
The one revenue stream the Warriors aren’t in the lead is local television, where they’re locked into a below-value deal that pays less than half of the Lakers and Knicks’ $100 million-plus deals. He isolates the team from the restless RSN market and creates an opportunity to capitalize as new distribution models are established. Last season, the Warriors led the NBA in local television ratings for the sixth time in seven years with a 6.98 household rating, nearly double second-best Cleveland.
Lacob, who spent three decades at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, was a leading owner voice in pushing the NBA to open its doors to institutional money, and the NBA endorsed the change early on. of 2021. Three months later, the Warriors became the first team to secure an investment when Bear Sports Partners bought. The company more than doubled its stake later in the year to 13%, with investments made at a $5.5 billion valuation and a discount on a control sale figure.
“We partner with visionary professional sports franchises, and Joe, Peter and the entire Golden State Warriors organization have built one of the most admired and successful front offices in the NBA and professional sports in general.” , said Doc O’Connor, Arctos co-founder with Ian Charles, said in an email. “They continue to innovate and are one of the most advanced organizations in how they leverage data-driven insights, both to improve on-field performance and an enhanced fan experience.”
The privately funded arena was the first cornerstone of Warriors, Inc., and the value extends outside the building with its 11-acre development of shops and restaurants, known as Thrive City. It has a 45% stake in two 580,000 square foot office towers, largely occupied by Uber, and there is an option to build a hotel.
Most of the other Warriors’ businesses are in their infancy. The organization has acquired seven esports teams. SuiteXchange, which serves as a resale marketplace for suite owners, serves the Chase Center with plans to add more locations. Golden State Entertainment will produce original content, such as documentaries and collaborations with recording artists on music releases. It draws on the expertise of Guber, who spent five decades in Hollywood and runs Mandalay Entertainment. The Warriors have also invested in startups to take advantage of opportunities for major sports properties – the NBA just formalized its own investment approach via NBA Equity. The Warriors organization now has 550 employees.
“It’s probably in the cards at some point for us to acquire another sports team,” Lacob said. “We know how to monetize, we know how to generate local revenue.” Jock values the Warriors’ real estate and related businesses at $1.56 billion, the highest in team sports.
The NBA is the most global of American sports leagues, and the league has granted the teams extended their rights to market themselves outside of North America. “We are a respected brand here, but also internationally, and this is a huge opportunity that we are only scratching the surface of,” said Brandon Schneider, president of Warriors.
The Warriors have gone all-in in recent years with the league’s largest payroll, resulting in a luxury tax bill of $170 million last season and will likely be higher this year. The total player cost was a North American record $350 million for the 2021-22 season, including taxes. The club still made a profit, but it has the opportunity to generate much more revenue. Lacob says the Warriors won’t always be a huge taxpayer. “The value of brand building is worth the massive expense,” he said. “But you only do that if you have the ability to add a title.”
Both the Yankees and Cowboys have used their brands and business strength to grow beyond just being sports teams. In addition to owning a stake in the NYCFC, the Yankees own a stake in the YES Network, the most valuable RSN in the United States. The Cowboys have grown with their $1.5 billion Star real estate development in Frisco, Texas. The two clubs launched the Legends hotel business together in 2008.
Lacob isn’t happy being No. 2 off the field or off the field. “[Cowboys owner] jerry [Jones] did a great job with the Cowboys business, but we’re also going to chase him, ”said Lacob, knowing full well that he already has an edge in one area over his fellow $7 billion franchise owner. of dollars. “He hasn’t won a Super Bowl in 25 years.”