Liberty Named Most Valuable Women’s Sports Team
In the first-ever Forbes list for the most valuable women's sports franchises, the New York Liberty came in first while being valued at $400 million.
All 12 WNBA franchises were valued by Forbes among the top 25. The Indiana Fever, Seattle Storm, Las Vegas Aces, and Phoenix Mercury all reached the $300 million value mark.
The rise of women’s sports has built up many franchises from a financial standpoint.
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Back in May 2025, the team was valued at $450 million by selling shares and was believed to be record-setting across women’s sports, per The Athletic.
The values of the franchises may be a big selling point for investors who want to buy into the WNBA. With more franchises being created and the league constantly expanding, more money will be put into the league.
The Liberty can be looked at a modern franchise to copy, as owners Joe Tsai and Carla Wu Tsai have done it the right way. They have successfully ran their franchise and made it to a championship-caliber team. The team is building a new practice facility, set to open in 2027. The facility, being funded by their ownership group, is focused on maximizing their players’ health.
“I am grateful to be a part of an organization who recognizes the power of investment in their players, and ensures we have everything we need to be at top of our game at all times,” said Sabrina Ionescu about the new practice gym.
More investors will see things like this and feel more confident with investing their money into not only this team, but in women’s sports in general.
The WNBA signed deals in 2024 that are reportedly pay out $2.2 billion over 11 years with their media rights. With negotiations for equal pay for players, this list can show that the league is profitable and can afford to pay the players what they are owed.
With the negotiation talks not going well as the offseason continues, players have voted to strike “when necessary”, per NBC News' Doha Madani. Does that mean that there will not be a 2026 WNBA season? That is still unclear but franchises have found a way to grow revenue. That shows that the players are driving growth towards the game.
All 12 WNBA teams making the list from Forbes shows that the league is going in a great direction and it can afford to pay the players more money.
_(1)-9ddf60e83acff20ad07c2e0014ab3ca3.jpeg "Jarrett Spence")
Jarrett Spence is a writer for the New York Liberty On SI. Growing up in New York City, he is a big fan of the Liberty and Knicks. Graduating from CUNY- Lehman College, he studied journalism and used his education to start working in the sports industry. His past work can be seen covering the Wizards/Mystics on The Lead, Wizards on FanSided, and general NBA/WNBA news on his own publication, The Stop and Pop on Substack. Some of Jarrett’s favorite memories are the Carmelo Anthony years in New York and the Liberty 2024 championship run.