Liberty Place 2nd on WNBA Valuations List
Money talks, and it speaks volumes for the New York Liberty.
The defending champions placed second on the list of most valuable WNBA teams, appraised at $420 million in data compiled by Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico. They trail only the expansion Golden State Valkyries, who lead the league at a $500 million value.
It's the latest feather in the cap of the Liberty, who are fresh off consecutive showings in the WNBA Finals, including last year's victorious run that produced that first postseason championship in franchise history.
The championship run helped provide the second-biggest jump in value from last year to this among the league's 13 squads at 222 percent, behind only the Caitlin Clark-induced boom the Indiana Fever enjoyed at 273.
New York has been under the ownership of Brooklyn Nets overseers Joe and Clara Wu Tsai since 2019. At that time, the Tsais purchased the Liberty from the Madison Square Garden Company for just over $10 million.
The organization has continued to paint Brooklyn seafoam since its arrival: in addition to the jubilant crowds that often gather at Barclays Center, the borough is also set play host to a new training facility in the Greenpoint section while a youth basketball center is set to open across the street from the arena later this year.
"Ever since I came to New York, came back home, the investment has been a two way street," Liberty star Breanna Stewart said in May. "That's really what you want as a player and for your franchise is to continue to have those opportunities, because of what we're doing on and off the court, and the way that our ownership, Joe and Clara, are continuing to uplift us and make sure it's player-first and player-led."
Topping Sportico's list is the early success of the Valkyries, the WNBA's newest franchise and its first entrant since 2008. Currently standing at 7-6, the Valkyries are owned by Golden State Warriors overseers Joe Labob and Peter Guber and predicted by Sportico to lead the league at an estimated $70 million in 2025 revenue.
New York, ironically enough, will face Golden State on Wednesday night as it descends upon Chase Center for the first time (10 p.m. ET, WWOR).
Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.