The New York Liberty is now valued at $600 million, the highest franchise price in the WNBA and more than double the league's next-closest team, according to Sportico's 2025 valuation update. The figure reflects a 59% league-wide increase in average franchise values as teams enter the 2026 expansion cycle with a new media deal and sold-out arenas.
The Liberty's valuation separates it from Las Vegas, Golden State, and Seattle—the league's other coastal operations—by at least $200 million. Brooklyn's Barclays Center location, ownership by Joe Tsai's BSE Global (which also controls the NBA Nets), and sold-out playoff runs anchor the number. The team drew an average of 11,100 fans per home game in 2024, the third-highest in the league, but the Brooklyn ZIP code and Tsai's dual-league infrastructure create margin other franchises cannot replicate. The Liberty's championship appearance in October put a $30 million incremental bump on sponsorship interest, per two team executives who spoke to Bloomberg in December.
The 59% league-wide valuation climb is not sentiment. The WNBA's new 11-year, $2.2 billion media package with Disney, Amazon, and NBC begins in 2026 and triples each team's annual distribution. Expansion fees for the three incoming franchises—Golden State, Toronto, Portland—landed at $50 million per team, a 5x multiple on the $10 million fee Minnesota paid in 1999. Those expansion checks go directly into league coffers, not team balance sheets, but they reset the pricing floor. A franchise bought for $10 million in 2018 is now conservatively worth $300 million, and the Liberty sits 2x above that.
Ownership groups are reacting. The Aces' Mark Davis has quietly hired PJT Partners to model a $500 million sale process if he moves forward, according to a person close to the team's front office. The Fever, riding Caitlin Clark's rookie season, is drawing family-office inbound from groups who passed on the NWSL two years ago. The Liberty's $600 million print gives those callers a reference point, which is exactly what Tsai intended when his team cooperated with Sportico's methodology.
The Liberty is not for sale. But the valuation creates two immediate effects. First, it recalibrates debt capacity. The franchise can now borrow against a $600 million asset base instead of $400 million, which funds Barclays renovation expenses, training facility upgrades, and a potential bid for a second-tier women's soccer or volleyball franchise under the BSE Global umbrella. Second, it resets sponsor deal pricing. A brand paying $3 million annually for jersey placement on a $400 million franchise will receive a renewal quote reflecting the new number. Expect 15-20% increases when Liberty sponsor contracts roll in Q2 2026.
The next datapoint is Toronto's ownership structure, expected to be announced in March. If that group prices the expansion franchise above $50 million in secondary capital raises—valuing the team at $200-250 million before tip-off—it confirms the Liberty's $600 million figure as floor, not ceiling. Philadelphia's potential 2027 expansion bid is already modeling a $75 million entry fee.
Tsai's accountants are smiling. He bought the Liberty in 2019 for roughly $100 million, though the exact price was never disclosed. Five years later, he owns the league's most valuable franchise, and the Nets' practice facility—shared with the Liberty—now doubles as a $600 million asset's home base.
The takeaway
Liberty's $600M valuation sets new WNBA pricing floor and recalibrates sponsor deals ahead of 2026 media rights launch.
wnbanew york libertyfranchise valuationjoe tsaiexpansion
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