Saturday 21 June 2025 9:00 am | Updated: Friday 20 June 2025 2:08 pm

Most expensive sports teams: How Lakers, Celtics, Commanders and Chelsea smashed records

Sports Editor

Eight of the top 10 most expensive sports teams have been sold since 2022

Mark Walter’s planned takeover of the LA Lakers is poised to set a new record for the most expensive sports team sale, continuing the boom in the franchise market.

Walter, who majority owns the LA Dodgers and is a part-owner of Chelsea, has agreed to increase his stake in the Lakers to a controlling one in a deal that values them at $10m (£7.5m).

That smashes the previous record for a sports team sale, set earlier this year when a group led by Bill Chisholm agreed to pay $6.1bn (£4.7bn) for another NBA franchise, the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics transaction eclipsed a $6.05bn deal for the NFL’s Washington Commanders, struck in 2023, and the $5.4m sale of Chelsea – the most expensive for a football team – in 2022.

Before that, the $3.3bn sale of NBA franchise the Brooklyn Nets in 2019 was the industry benchmark.

How sports team prices skyrocketed in 2020s

In fact, the eight biggest sports team sales have all taken place in the last three years as money has poured into the sector, mostly from US investment groups.

In that time, British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe also bought a minority stake in Manchester United in a deal that valued the Premier League club at $5.4bn.

This year, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also agreed deals to sell stakes in eight Hundred franchises that valued them at close to £1bn.

US teams remain popular with investors as the American sports model, with closed leagues, draft system and highly commercialised model, offers a better chance of returns.

Last year, the NFL responded to the booming interest by agreeing to allow private equity firms to purchase minority stakes, following a similar move by the NBA in previous years.

Investors are also attracted by an evolving media landscape and the transformation of stadiums into multi-use venues that can make money year-round, Goldman Sachs has said.

“The days of just selling tickets and concessions are over; sports are rapidly expanding into 24/7 data management platforms that bring best-in-class customization – helping teams grow and increase the monetization of their fan base across all business verticals,” said the investment bank’s co-head of sports franchise Dave Dase.