Size does matter when it comes to running a professional sports franchise.
There are several distinct advantages to running an NBA team in a “large” market, such as local advertising and sponsorship opportunities, free agent lure, and partnerships with impactful local celebrities.
Plus, the NBA’s local network deals make up for a hearty portion of the association’s total revenue. The bigger your local viewing audience, the more revenue you’ll see from your TV deal.
The size of a local TV audience is defined by the number of homes in the viewing area, per US census data.
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2022 NBA Market Size Rankings
Large NBA Markets (over 2 million homes)
| Team | TV Market Size* | Metro Population** |
|---|---|---|
| 1. New York Knicks / Brooklyn Nets | 7.453M | 19,216,182 |
| 2. LA Lakers / LA Clippers | 5.735M | 13,214,799 |
| 3. Chicago Bulls | 3.472M | 9,458,539 |
| 4. Philadelphia 76ers | 2.997M | 6,102,434 |
| 5. Dallas Mavericks | 2.963M | 7,573,136 |
| 6. Toronto Raptors | – | 5,928,040 |
| 7. Golden State Warriors | 2.653M | 4,731,803 |
| 8. Atlanta Hawks | 2.649M | 6,020,364 |
| 9. Houston Rockets | 2.570M | 7,066,141 |
| 10. Washington Wizards | 2.566M | 6,280,487 |
| 11. Boston Celtics | 2.490M | 4,873,019 |
| 12. Phoenix Suns | 2.158M | 4,948,203 |
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Medium NBA Markets (1.5 – 2 million homes)
| Team | TV Market Size* | Metro Population** |
|---|---|---|
| 13. Minnesota Timberwolves | 1.887M | 3,654,908 |
| 14. Detroit Pistons | 1.863M | 4,319,629 |
| 15. Denver Nuggets | 1.798M | 2,932,415 |
| 16. Orlando Magic | 1.731M | 2,608,147 |
| 17. Miami Heat | 1.693M | 6,166,488 |
| 18. Cleveland Cavaliers | 1.512M | 2,048,449 |
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Small NBA Markets (less than 1.5 million homes)
| Team | TV Market Size* | Metro Population** |
|---|---|---|
| 19. Sacramento Kings | 1.459M | 2,363,730 |
| 20. Portland Trailblazers | 1.315M | 2,492,412 |
| 21. Charlotte Hornets | 1.291M | 2,636,883 |
| 22. Indiana Pacers | 1.183M | 2,074,537 |
| 23. Utah Jazz | 1.100M | 1,232,696 |
| 24. San Antonio Spurs | 1.031M | 2,550,960 |
| 25. Milwaukee Bucks | 922K | 1,575,179 |
| 26. Oklahoma City Thunder | 755K | 1,408,950 |
| 27. New Orleans Pelicans | 664K | 1,270,530 |
| 28. Memphis Grizzlies | 620K | 1,346,045 |
* TV market sizes courtesy of Sports Media Watch.
** 29 US Metro Market sizes are 2019 estimates, Toronto metro size from 2016. Toronto TV market size data unavailable.
Source (29 U.S. Teams): https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2010s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html
Source (Toronto): https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=201&S=3&O=D
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What is the Smallest Market in the NBA?
The smallest NBA market in terms of TV audience is Memphis. New Orleans is a smaller metropolitan area than Memphis, but the Pelicans have a slightly larger TV reach.
What is the Biggest Market in the NBA?
New York is the largest market in the NBA, in terms of both population and TV viewing audience. Followed closely by Los Angeles, it’s no surprise that the two markets which each host two franchises are the largest.
Michael Burns
Founder of HoopSocial. Girl Dad. WNBA stan. Syracuse Orange and Charlotte Hornets fan. Sarcasm is my native tongue. You can follow me on Twitter at @mike_hoopsocial.