The New York Liberty have been named the most valuable team in the WNBA, with an estimated value of $400 million, according to a June 6 report from Forbes.
To rank the most valuable WNBA franchises, Forbes reviewed recent transaction data and spoke to more than 30 industry insiders, including team and league executives, owners, investment bankers, advisors and consultants. Revenue figures are estimated for the 2024 season and are rounded to the nearest $1 million. Playoff games were excluded from revenue calculations.
Here is who provides musculoskeletal care for the 12 most valuable WNBA teams:
1. New York Liberty, $400 million: Riley Williams III, MD, is the medical director and head team orthopedic surgeon for the New York Liberty. He is a sports medicine surgeon at New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery, chief of the sports medicine institute and a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in knee, shoulder and elbow surgery. He is also a professor at Weill Cornell Medical College.
2. Indiana Fever, $370 million: Stephen Kollias, MD, a sports medicine specialist at OrthoIndy in Indianapolis, provides care for the Fever.
3. Seattle Storm, $330 million: Michael Erickson, MD, a sports medicine specialist at Swedish Health Services in Seattle and director of the sports medicine program fellowship, provides care for the Storm as head team physician.
4. Las Vegas Aces, $310 million: Glenn Barnes, DO, is a team physician for the Las Vegas Aces. He is also an assistant professor of sports medicine at the University of Nevada Las Vegas and sees patients at the UNLV Health Sports Medicine Clinic, where he treats musculoskeletal and sports-related injuries.
5. Phoenix Mercury, $300 million: Phoenix-based Steward Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center provides care for the Mercury. Orthopedic surgeon Thomas Carter, MD, who joined the center in 2018, has served as the Suns’ head team physician for 24 years.
6. Dallas Wings, $250 million: Mark Kazewych, MD, an orthopedic surgeon, sports medicine specialist and FDA researcher for prospective cartilage-restoration technology Cartiheal, was named Wings head physician in 2022. He specializes in orthopedic surgery including advanced arthroscopy of the shoulder, knee and hip, as well as joint preservation surgery.
7. Chicago Sky, $240 million: Holly Benjamin, MD, a sports medicine and nonsurgical musculoskeletal injury specialist at the University of Chicago, is head team physician for the Sky. She is also a medical officer for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, U.S. Soccer and USA Triathlon.
8. Los Angeles Sparks, $235 million: The Sparks have a care partnership with UCLA Health in Los Angeles. UCLA orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine specialists Sharon Hame, MD, and Calvin Duffaut, MD, serve the team in equal capacities.
9. Minnesota Lynx, $230 million: Kelechi Okoroha, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist with his own private practice, is team physician for the Lynx and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Dr. Okoroha specializes in hip, shoulder, knee and elbow repair.
10. Washington Mystics, $205 million: Columbia, Md.-based MedStar Health is the official care provider for the Mystics.
11. Connecticut Sun, $200 million: Michael Medvecky, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn., is the head team and head orthopedic surgeon for the Sun. He is also a consultant with Yale’s athletic teams.
12. Atlanta Dream, $190 million: Brandon Mines, MD, is head team physician for the Atlanta Dream. He is also a team physician for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and serves as the primary care sports medicine and concussion specialist for the team. He is a family practice and sports medicine specialist at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta.
