Happy Sports > Basketball > The Thunder may be sold in the short term! Follow the example of the Celtics winning the championship and selling the team, the valuation has soared to US$4 billion

The Thunder may be sold in the short term! Follow the example of the Celtics winning the championship and selling the team, the valuation has soared to US$4 billion

On July 4, the NBA entered the offseason. The Thunder became the biggest winner of the 2024-25 season, and they won the first NBA championship in team history. However, according to local Oklahoma media Le Monde, the rise in NBA team valuations may prompt the Thunder boss to sell the team. The Thunder made a breakthrough in the 2024-25 season. They won the best regular season record in team history, and then eliminated strong opponents in consecutive playoffs and finally won the first championship in team history. According to a source close to Thunder boss Bennett, the rise in NBA team valuations make Thunder shareholders likely to choose to sell the team in the short term. With the Thunder winning the championship, shareholders have fewer reasons to retain the team, and they achieved the goal of winning the championship, besides bringing the NBA team to Oklahoma.

is an uncertain point in the short term, and shareholders may wait until the Thunder's new stadium is completed and opened in 2028 (a cost of about $1 billion), which will be another milestone for the team and Oxford. The Thunder is expected to stay in Oklahoma after the sale. The Russian City government has introduced a number of measures to keep the Thunder. The new stadium plan and Alexander's contract extension (contract extension to 2031) also boosted the Thunder's valuation. According to previous reports, the Celtics, who won the championship last year, sold for $6.1 billion, and the Lakers' majority stake was sold for $10 billion (just valuation of only 7.3 billion a few months ago). Bennett bought the Thunder in 2006 at just $350 million. CNBC, Forbes and Sportico previously valued the Thunder at $3.5 billion, but now it may reach $4 billion. For Thunder shareholders, selling at a purchase price of more than 10 times is an undeniable thing.

It is reported that most of the Thunder's shareholders are local businessmen in Oxford, none of them are over 65 years old. Few people will inherit NBA teams to second-generation family members, and most of them will be sold. Thunder boss Bennett declined to interview about reports that the team might be sold, and he kept a low profile and even remained silent when the Thunder won the championship.

Russian city mayor David Holt said that the Thunder is very important to Russia. Regardless of whether the team changes hands or not, Russia will do its best to keep the Thunder. To sum up, in the case of the joint existence of conditions such as soaring valuation, achieving championship goals and shareholder composition, although the Thunder has the guarantee of new stadium plans, long-term leases and government support, the Thunder still has the possibility of post-sale relocation. Judging from the current situation, whether the Thunder will be sold is a topic worthy of attention.

What do you think about the soaring market value of NBA teams? Welcome to give your opinions in the comment section.