America’s Richest Sports Team Owners 2026

The richest American owner of a major sports team has an estimated net worth of $156 billion—the ninth-largest fortune of any human on the planet—and is a famously enthusiastic fan of his NBA franchise. Just don’t expect to see him at a game this season.

That’s because Steve Ballmer, who bought the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014 after the league handed former owner Donald Sterling a lifetime ban for making racist remarks, now finds himself suspended by the league as well—albeit only for a year this time.

The NBA announced the punishment—which also included the Clippers losing five future first-round draft picks and being fined $30 million—as it released a report this month that concluded the team had circumvented the salary cap with secret sponsorship deals to sign star forward Kawhi Leonard. (Federal prosecutors in New York have also reportedly opened an investigation to explore those contracts.)

The Clippers initially vowed to “vigorously challenge these findings and penalties through every avenue available to us,” but Ballmer wrote in a statement on Sunday night: “We have communicated to the NBA that we are complying with the penalties assessed by the league, have paid the fine and are moving forward. While there are still disagreements concerning the findings in the report, this is not where I want to focus.” That means Ballmer will be temporarily barred from practices and games at the Intuit Dome, the $2 billion basketball palace he opened two years ago.

It isn’t the only recent scandal to land in an owner’s box. Billionaire investor Mark Walter is under scrutiny by federal prosecutors over a failure to disclose financial ties between insurers he controls and his other firms, and in August agreed to sell the Los Angeles Lakers from a sports empire that also includes MLB’s Dodgers. Meanwhile, San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York, son of the team’s co-chairwoman Denise DeBartolo York, was arrested last month on suspicion of engaging in prostitution and pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and possessing criminal tools.

Forbes estimates Walter’s net worth at $7.3 billion and the York family’s at $10 billion, landing them squarely on this year’s Forbes 400—the definitive ranking of the wealthiest Americans, which will be published on Tuesday. But the list of the richest American sports team owners is even more exclusive, and both fall well short of its $12.2 billion cutoff, which is up 21% from 2025’s $10.1 billion.

Together, the top 20 owners are worth an estimated $666 billion, a 10% increase from last year’s $607 billion. Their holdings include controlling stakes in 37 major franchises: ten teams in the NFL, eight in the NBA, seven in MLS, four in the NHL, three in England’s Premier League, two in the Women’s Super League and one each from MLB, the WNBA and Italy’s Serie A.

The 70-year-old Ballmer tops the list for the 12th straight year, but the vast majority of his wealth stems from the former Microsoft CEO’s stock in the tech giant. Strictly in terms of sports franchises, no one has a larger portfolio than Stan Kroenke—who runs six major teams and has an estimated net worth of $27.6 billion, making him the seventh-richest American owner—and his sports empire is set to expand further with his agreement this month to buy a majority stake in the Los Angeles Angels from Arte Moreno. Since last year, the 79-year-old Kroenke—who owns the Los Angeles Rams and Arsenal FC, among several other teams—has seen his fortune grow an impressive 30%.

Yet that appreciation was actually exceeded over the past 12 months by two fellow sports owners. No. 17 Dan Friedkin, who owns the Everton men’s and women’s soccer teams as well as AS Roma, is up 31% to $12.7 billion, and No. 20 Jimmy Haslam, who owns the Cleveland Browns, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Columbus Crew, leads the 2026 ranking with 40% growth, to $12.2 billion.

The upswing means that venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, who recently closed his purchase of the Seattle Seahawks for an NFL-record $9.6 billion, misses the list despite a net worth estimated at $11.4 billion.

Only three of the top 20 owners are poorer than they were in 2025: the Dallas Mavericks’ Miriam Adelson (who is No. 4 at $33.5 billion, down 12%), the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Dan Gilbert (No. 10, $22.9 billion, 14%) and Philip Anschutz of the Los Angeles Kings and LA Galaxy (No. 12, $19.3 billion, 0.5%).

Three billionaires who appeared in 2025’s ranking fall off the owners list this year: the Atlanta Hawks’ Antony Ressler, the Miami Heat’s Micky Arison and the Detroit Pistons’ Tom Gores, all of whom are still worth at least $10.6 billion. That opened up space for three newcomers: Friedkin, Haslam and Peter Mallouk (tied for 13th at $16.5 billion), who bought MLS’s Sporting Kansas City early this year and was added to Forbes’ list of the world’s billionaires shortly thereafter.

AMERICA’S 20 RICHEST SPORTS TEAM OWNERS

Net Worth: $156 billion

One-Year Change: +2%

Team: Los Angeles Clippers

Source of Wealth: Microsoft

At an estimated $7.5 billion, the Clippers are worth nearly four times the $2 billion Ballmer spent to buy the team a dozen years ago, driven in part by their 2024 move to the Intuit Dome from Crypto.com Arena, which they had shared with the crosstown rival Lakers and the NHL’s Kings since that building opened in 1999. But the 70-year-old former Microsoft CEO will be stuck watching games from home for a year after the NBA ruled he and the organization improperly arranged for endorsement opportunities for Kawhi Leonard. That punishment might hurt Ballmer more than the $30 million fine, which represents less than 0.02% of his net worth.

Net Worth: $132 billion*

One-Year Change: +11.9%

Team: Denver Broncos

Source of Wealth: Walmart

Walton, who at 81 is the eldest son of the late Walmart cofounder Sam Walton, has handed his son-in-law Greg Penner day-to-day control of the Broncos since leading the group that bought the franchise for $4.65 billion in 2022. His deep pockets will surely be appreciated, however, after the team purchased 58 acres in Denver in May, with plans to build a new retractable-roof stadium that would open in 2031 at an expected cost of more than $4 billion, including a mixed-use entertainment district surrounding the field.

Net Worth: $33.8 billion

One-Year Change: +22%

Team: Anaheim Ducks

Source of Wealth: Semiconductors

Samueli, who turns 72 next week, cofounded chipmaker Broadcom, which saw its share price reach a high of $495 in June, up from roughly $300 early last September. The stock has drifted back down to around $362 since then, but the company tantalized investors this month when it indicated on an earnings call that it is projecting its revenue to more than triple, to $230 billion, by 2028, fueled by growth with its AI semiconductors.

Net Worth: $33.5 billion*

One-Year Change: -11.6%

Team: Dallas Mavericks

Source of Wealth: Casinos

The 80-year-old widow of Las Vegas Sands founder Sheldon Adelson, Miriam Adelson bought a majority stake in the Mavericks from Mark Cuban at a $3.5 billion valuation in 2023 and installed her son-in-law Patrick Dumont as the team’s governor. Cuban, who has an estimated net worth of $6.8 billion and still holds a minority share of the team, has said he regrets the deal, and he and Dumont have begun sniping at each other in legal filings over whether Cuban has been properly included in the franchise’s plans to build a new arena north of downtown Dallas.

Net Worth: $29.6 billion

One-Year Change: +23.3%

Team: Memphis Grizzlies

Source of Wealth: Wireless networking

The Grizzlies have been the NBA’s least valuable team for the past three years, according to Forbes estimates, but with a valuation of $3.5 billion, they have still appreciated more than 800% since Pera, the 48-year-old founder of Ubiquiti, bought the franchise for $377 million in 2012. In April, NBA commissioner Adam Silver told the podcast Pardon My Take that he would like to see the Grizzlies play a few games a year in Nashville to broaden their appeal as “Tennessee’s team” but added that Pera “has no interest in moving the team out of Memphis—he’s made that clear.”

Net Worth: $28.5 billion

One-Year Change: +20.3%

Teams: Carolina Panthers, Charlotte FC

Source of Wealth: Hedge funds

Tepper spent $2.3 billion to buy the Panthers in 2018 and $325 million the following year for an MLS expansion slot, which became Charlotte FC. Now, the 69-year-old founder of Appaloosa Management is leading a $1.3 billion renovation of the home of the two teams, Bank of America Stadium, with an eye on attracting sporting events such as the Super Bowl and the 2031 Women’s World Cup to Charlotte. According to Sports Business Journal, the project will also include a 4,400-seat music venue, an idea that came out of Tepper’s conversations with fans who wanted more to do when they traveled in from cities like Raleigh and Charleston.

Net Worth: $27.6 billion

One-Year Change: +29.6%

Teams: Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, Arsenal FC, Arsenal Women FC

Source of Wealth: Sports, real estate

Kroenke’s team stakes are worth around $22 billion net of debt, according to Forbes estimates, now representing the majority of a fortune that also includes roughly 60 million square feet of commercial real estate and 2.7 million acres of ranches. It’s all the more impressive because the 79-year-old Kroenke—whose wife, Walmart heir Ann Walton Kroenke, separately has a $14 billion net worth—acquired his sports franchises for around $2.4 billion (or about $3.8 billion adjusted for inflation). Today, Forbes values the Rams alone at $13.5 billion.

Net Worth: $26.7 billion

One-Year Change: +16.1%

Team: New York Mets

Source of Wealth: Hedge funds

The Mets are scuffling through a second straight disappointing season, but not for lack of effort by Cohen, the 70-year-old founder of Point72 Asset Management. Last year, the team had an MLB-high cash payroll that Spotrac pegged at more than $400 million, which, factoring in competitive balance tax and revenue-sharing payments, resulted in an operating loss of $213 million for the organization, according to Forbes estimates. This year, the sub-.500 Mets lead the majors again with a cash payroll of nearly $344 million.

Net Worth: $23.5 billion*

One-Year Change: +19.9%

Team: Dallas Cowboys

Source of Wealth: Sports, energy

Jones made his first fortune as an oil wildcatter and now controls the publicly traded Comstock Resources, which has a market cap of more than $4 billion and saw the sale of a minority stake in its subsidiary Pinnacle Gas Services value that firm at $2.2 billion in June. But the 83-year-old Jones’ most valuable asset has long been the Cowboys, a franchise that he bought for $140 million in 1989 (about $385 million today) and is now worth an estimated $17 billion. Last season, Dallas generated nearly $1.28 billion in revenue—the largest total Forbes has ever measured for a sports team.

Net Worth: $22.9 billion

One-Year Change: -14.2%

Team: Cleveland Cavaliers

Source of Wealth: Mortgage lending

Last year, Forbes valued the Cavaliers at $4.8 billion, but Gilbert might have done a bit better when he sold a minority stake to private equity firm Blue Owl this summer. Ahead of the deal, Sportico reported that the agreement would value the franchise and a forthcoming WNBA team—which cost the 64-year-old Rocket Mortgage cofounder a $250 million expansion fee in 2025—at a combined $5.5 billion.

Net Worth: $21.5 billion

One-Year Change: +26.5%

Team: Miami Dolphins

Source of Wealth: Real estate

Ross, the 86-year-old real estate magnate behind Related Companies, said in January that he had been offered nearly $15 billion for the Dolphins, but he settled for a valuation of $12.5 billion in the sale this spring of a 1% stake in the holding company that contains not only his NFL franchise but also Hard Rock Stadium, Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix and the Miami Open, a tennis tournament. Forbes recently valued the Dolphins alone at $10.4 billion.

Net Worth: $19.3 billion

One-Year Change: -0.5%

Teams: Los Angeles Kings, LA Galaxy

Source of Wealth: Energy, sports, entertainment

Anschutz has had success in many industries, including oil, railroads, telecommunications and real estate, and his Anschutz Entertainment Group owns and operates more than 70 arenas and concert venues worldwide, including Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. Those holdings have allowed the company to push into sports in ways that go beyond the two teams the 86-year-old owns, the NHL’s Kings and MLS’s Galaxy. For instance, AEG partnered with Fox Sports to launch the College Basketball Crown, a postseason tournament aiming to overtake the NIT, in 2025.

Net Worth: $16.5 billion

One-Year Change: +15.4%

Teams: Jacksonville Jaguars, Fulham FC

Source of Wealth: Auto parts, sports

Khan, the 76-year-old owner of auto parts supplier Flex-N-Gate, is undertaking a $1.4 billion renovation of the Jaguars’ EverBank Stadium with $775 million in support from the city of Jacksonville, and the construction will force the team to temporarily move to Orlando’s Camping World Stadium for the 2027 NFL season. Fans of Khan’s English soccer team are also dealing with disappointment after Fulham FC opened the Premier League season with three straight losses.