forbes valuation
Forbes ranked the Chicago Bulls as the sixth-largest NBA franchise by market value ($6 billion) last year, and the 19th-most-profitable sports franchise globally after bringing in $160 million. Lukas Walton has a net worth estimated at $45.8 billion as of Friday. He is the grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton, and he inherited about one-third of his father’s estate after John Walton died in a 2005 plane crash. Lukas Walton holds stakes in Walmart and his family’s Arvest Bank group, which oversees roughly $27 billion in assets. Jerry Reinsdorf, who made his first fortune in real estate before buying the Chicago Bulls and the Chicago White Sox, has a fortune estimated at $2.3 billion. Forbes previously valued the fortune of the Wirtz family, which purchased the Chicago Blackhawks in 1954, at $4.4 billion in 2015.
Read more Trump Says More Reflecting Pool Arrests Coming: ‘These People Are Sick’
key background
The market value of American sports franchises has climbed over the last decade. The Los Angeles Lakers were sold to billionaire Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter for $10 billion last year, a record that nearly doubled the previous North American sports sale record, surpassing the $6.1 billion sale of the Boston Celtics earlier in the year. That broke the $6 billion sale of the NFL’s Washington Commanders in 2023. Franchises that have not sold have seen enormous appreciation: Forbes estimates four teams are now worth at least $10 billion, including the Dallas Cowboys ($13 billion), the Golden State Warriors ($11 billion), the Los Angeles Rams ($10.5 billion) and the New York Giants ($10.1 billion).
Read more Leon Black Walks Out Of Epstein Interview After Being Subpoenaed, Decries ‘Political Stunt’
further reading
ForbesNBA Approves $10 Billion Lakers Sale To Dodgers Owner Mark WalterBy Antonio Pequeño IV
ForbesThe Most Valuable NBA Teams 2025By Justin TeitelbaumForbesThe World’s Most Profitable Sports Teams 2026By Brett Knight