Apparently, wins aren't all that matters when it comes to the value of professional sports franchises.

Despite creeping near the top of the lottery the past few seasons, the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers still made Forbes' top 10 list of most valuable franchises in the world, which was released Thursday.

From Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News:

According to the estimates Forbes released Thursday, James Dolan’s franchise is the most valuable in the NBA at $3 billion, rising from second last year behind the Lakers. It’s a 20 percent increase from Forbes’ 2015 estimate, and now about $300 million more than the Lakers.

The Knicks check in atop all other NBA teams despite a 32-50 record last season — third-worst in the Eastern Conference. The Lakers had their worst season in franchise history, winning just 17 games.

The Chicago Bulls and Brooklyn Nets joined the Knicks and Lakers in the top 10. The only franchises located in the United States valued higher than the Knicks were the Yankees, Cowboys and Patriots. It would be interesting to see how much higher teams like the Knicks and Lakers would be on this list if they were winning a little more.

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Every NBA team is benefitting from the 9-year, $24 billion media rights deal the league signed with ESPN and Turner Sports back in October, 2014. We're starting to see the impact this summer with next year's salary cap rising and free agents signing for amounts previously unheard of.

The cap is projected to jump again next summer and it will be interesting to monitor the NBA's growth over this next decade compared to other sports leagues.

One thing that's certain: it's a very good time to be an NBA player right now.

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