Golden State Valkyries make history with $500 million 'Sportico' valuation

Jael Rucker

•
Golden State Valkyries make history with $500 million 'Sportico' valuation image

The Golden State Valkyries are officially a money-making machine.

At least according to Sportico reporter Kurt Badenhausen, who released the publication's second annual WNBA valuation report earlier this week. Showcasing unprecedented growth in the league’s economics, the average WNBA team is now valued at $269 million, which marks a 180 percent increase compared to last year’s report—the largest year-over-year valuation gain ever recorded among major professional sports leagues. Leading the way are the Golden State Valkyries, who debuted at the top spot with a $500 million valuation in their inaugural season, a record valuation for a women’s sports franchise.

According to Sportico, this whopping $500 million figure comes from the team setting records for season ticket sales and revenue ($70 million). The publication also states that their 2025 revenue should be double what any W team generated last year. 

MORE: Paige Bueckers frontlines new Nike x Levi's campaign, and it's their biggest to date

Meanwhile, the Indiana Fever, powered by rookie sensation Caitlin Clark, had the league’s biggest annual value jump, climbing 273% to $335 million and ranking third overall. What's more, the average WNBA team is now worth $269 million, giving the league a 180 percent increase versus 2024—a year-over-year increase that more than doubles the previous record gain for a sports league.

Rounding out the top five teams across the league are defending champion New York Liberty ($420 million), Indiana Fever ($335 million), Las Vegas Aces ($290 million) and Seattle Storm ($285 million). These updates mean that WNBA franchises are now valued at 12x revenue on average, the highest multiple among major professional sports leagues, and this will only continue as new national TV deals from ESPN, NBC and Amazon will generate $200 million in annual revenue on average starting next year, a 500% increase over the previous agreements.

MORE SPORTS NEWS:

Jael Rucker

Jael Rucker has worked as the Associate Commerce Editor at PureWow, focusing on analytics and trends to pitch stories and optimize articles that build and engage their audience. Her work has also been seen in Footwear News and WWD. Prior to 2024, she was the style and pop culture editor at ONE37pm for over three years, contributing numerous product reviews, brand profiles and fashion trend reports, which included interviewing Steph Curry, Snoop Dogg and more.