In 1997, Dolan acquired the Knicks for 30 million yuan. How much is it worth for sale now?

In 1997, American media tycoon Charles Dolan acquired the New York Knicks for $30 million and became the owner of the Madison Square Garden Arena. This move did not cause too much sensation at the time, after all, compared with other sports giants, the acquisition amount was not high. However, who would have thought that this acquisition made the Dolan family profitable, and under its management, the Knicks became one of the highest market value teams in the league. After acquiring the Knicks, Old Dolan handed over the team's management rights to his eldest son James Dolan, the current boss. After taking over, Xiao Dulan (hereinafter referred to as Dulan) showed his unique management style and business strategy. He is well aware of the huge business potential of the New York market and is committed to enhancing the team's business value in various ways.

Dolan has continuously increased its investment in team operations, upgraded its team facilities, created a more attractive home environment, and improved the fans' viewing experience. At the same time, he actively expanded the team's business cooperation channels, established cooperative relationships with many well-known brands, and improved the team's popularity and influence through various marketing activities and brand promotion.

In terms of team management, Dolan dares to make bold decisions, introduce outstanding players and coaching teams, and strive to improve the team's competitive strength. Although Dolan is committed to the development and construction of the team, he has not been recognized by the outside world. This is largely because the team's record has been at the bottom for many years and randomly offers premium contracts to players, such as Alan Houston's 6-year, $100 million maximum salary contract.

At that time, Stern rated Dolan as "no team talent", and Sports Illustrated called him the worst boss in the league.

Nevertheless, with the rapid development of NBA commercialization and the international metropolis backed by New York, the Knicks' market value has also risen. According to Forbes' 2023 assessment, the Knicks' market value has reached $6.1 billion, making it the second highest-cap team in the NBA league, second only to the Golden State Warriors.

Today in 2025, the Knicks' market value has reached US$7.5 billion, which is 250 times higher than the $30 million acquisition price of Dolan that year, making it one of the most successful team investment cases in sports history. It is worth mentioning that the Knicks reached the Eastern Conference Finals again after many years this season, which will undoubtedly accelerate the increase in the team's market value to a certain extent.

Such huge growth is not only due to Dolan's business strategy, but also closely related to the overall business value improvement of the NBA league. In recent years, the amount of broadcast contracts in the NBA league has increased significantly, with the total amount of new broadcast contracts reaching $75 billion, nearly three times the previous contracts. This huge commercial success has brought huge profits to various teams, and the New York market where the Knicks is located provides unique conditions for the team's commercial development.

In addition, in addition to the team's market value soaring, Dolan also obtained rich cash flow during the Knicks' operation. The NBA's high broadcasting fees, ticket sales, sales of events and various commercial activities have brought stable income to Dolan. It is estimated that Dolan has made more than $1.5 billion in net profits through team operations over the past 20 years. It can be said that Dolan may not love basketball as much as Cuban and Ballmer, but he is definitely a shrewd businessman.