The Golden State Warriors have been named the most valuable NBA team of 2024 for the third year in a row, with an average net worth of $8.8 billion, according to an Oct. 24 Forbes report.
Estimated values include revenue and operating income for the 2023 to 2024 season and are net of revenue-sharing and arena debt service. Team values are enterprise values (equity plus net debt) and include the economics of the team's arena (including non-NBA revenue that accrues to the team’s owner) but not the value of the arena real estate itself.
Here are the physicians who provide care for the 10 most valuable NBA teams of 2024:
1. The Golden State Warriors, $8.8 billion, are cared for by lead orthopedic surgeon Chris Lehman, MD, an orthopedic specialist at the Permanente Medical Group in Oakland, Calif.
2. The New York Knicks, $7.5 billion, are cared for by Daphne Scott, MD, chief of primary sports medicine at New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery. Dr. Scott specializes in nonsurgical treatment of acute, chronic and overuse injuries and oversees 25 physicians across 14 locations.
3. The Los Angeles Lakers, $7.1 billion, are cared for by head team physician and director of orthopedic surgery Kristofer Jones, MD. Dr. Jones is an orthopedic surgeon at Los Angeles-based UCLA Health specializing in sports-related musculoskeletal injuries.
4. The Boston Celtics, $6 billion, are cared for by team physician and chief medical officer Anthony Schena, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Boston Orthopaedic & Spine.
5. The Los Angeles Clippers, $5.5 billion, are cared for by head team physician Steven Yoon, MD. Dr. Yoon is the director of clinical regenerative medicine at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles, where he specializes in advanced non-surgical orthobiologic and image-guided treatments for sports injuries.
6. The Chicago Bulls, $5 billion, are cared for by head team physician Brian Cole, MD, managing partner at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush in Chicago and acting chair of the department of orthopedic surgery. Dr. Cole is a professor and sports medicine surgeon, and has been a member of MOR, a 50-physician independent academic private practice at RUSH, since 1997.
7. The Houston Rockets, $4.9 billion, are cared for by head orthopedic team physician Steven Flores, MD, a sports medicine and arthroscopy specialist who has been with the team for 10 years. Dr. Flores works in private practice in Texas.
8. The Brooklyn Nets, $4.8 billion, are cared for by head team orthopedic surgeon Riley Williams III, MD. Dr. Williams specializes in knee, shoulder and elbow surgery, as well as sports medicine at New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery.
9. The Dallas Mavericks, $4.7 billion, are cared for by Daniel Worrel, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Carrell Clinic. Dr. Worrel has a special interest in treating disorders of the elbow and performs minimally invasive repairs of bicep ruptures, as well as arthroscopic treatment of degenerative, stiff or traumatized elbows. He also performs ligament reconstruction of the shoulder, elbow and knee.
10. The Philadelphia 76ers, $4.6 billion, are cared for by a team of orthopedic surgeons at Penn Medicine in Philadelphia.