Jose Sanchez
Research expert covering society, economy, & politics for Latin America
National Basketball Association (NBA) - statistics & facts
Founded in 1949, the National Basketball Association (NBA) has experienced staggering growth in recent years. Not only has it become one of the most high-profile sports leagues in the world, but it is also a financial behemoth. In the past 21 years alone, the average franchise value of NBA teams went from 265 million U.S. dollars to 5.36 billion U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, league-wide revenue in the NBA totaled 12.5 billion U.S. dollars in the 2024/25 season.
How does the NBA make money?
One of the main income streams for NBA franchises is gate receipts. While the share of total league revenue from gate receipts in the NBA has been on a general decline since 2010, ticketing revenue continues to be a vital source of income for teams in the league, accounting for over a fifth of overall revenue in 2023/24. Another large source of income for the NBA is sponsorship revenue, which regularly makes up over 10 percent of overall league revenue per season. Meanwhile, the value of the NBA鈥檚 broadcast rights deal was estimated at 24 billion U.S. dollars between 2016/17 and 2024/25, which worked out at three billion U.S. dollars a season. This is set to rise substantially in the coming years, with the NBA completing a new media rights deal with Disney, NBC, and Amazon in July 2024, which will run until 2036/37 and is valued at 76 billion U.S. dollars.
Which NBA team has won the most championships?
With their victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 Finals, the Boston Celtics broke the record for the most NBA championship title wins, with 18. This marked the first championship win for the Celtics since 2008. In the Celtics鈥 history, the most successful period came during the 1960s, when they won a championship every year except in 1967. Perhaps this lack of recent and sustained success goes some way in explaining why the Celtics did not rank as the most popular team among NBA fans, despite having the most silverware; the top three most popular franchises were the LA Lakers, the Chicago Bulls, and the Golden State Warriors respectively, all which achieved NBA dynasty status post-1990.
Nevertheless, the era of NBA dynasties appears to have come to an end during current commissioner Adam Silver's time at the helm of the league, with nine different franchises having won a title in 12 years. In comparison, only eight teams won a championship during the 30-year stint of previous commissioner David Stern. The New York Knicks was the latest NBA team to secure a title, beating the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals, which was watched by an average TV audience exceeding 20 million viewers.
Who is the greatest NBA player of all time?
Any discussion of the league鈥檚 greatest all-time player would be remiss not to include LeBron James. As the NBA鈥檚 all-time top point scorer and one of the all-time assist leaders in the NBA, the four-time champion has had a career few could rival. In his 23 years in the NBA, 鈥淜ing James鈥 has also built a massive commercial presence, earning the second most from endorsements among NBA players in 2025/26, only behind Stephen Curry. However, many still understandably consider Michael Jordan the league鈥檚 greatest all-time player. During his time with the Chicago Bulls, the five-time MVP winner was at the heart of the team鈥檚 two three-peats during the 1990s and stepped up when it mattered most. With the help of Air Jordan branding, MJ also became basketball鈥檚 first truly global icon. While active players such as Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Nikola Joki膰 are phenomenal players in their own right and have in many ways redefined their respective positions, it is difficult to imagine any of them reaching the same status as MJ or LeBron.
