The New York Liberty have raised capital at a record valuation for a professional women’s sports franchise of $450 million. The total size of the shares sold in the team’s capital raise is a percentage in the “mid-teens,” according to one of the sources.
Last summer, the Dallas Wings sold two half-percent stakes in the franchise at a $208 million valuation. Earlier this month, entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian paid $26.5 million for an 8 percent stake in Chelsea Women, which values the team at $326 million.
The Liberty hope to build a new practice facility after winning their first WNBA championship in franchise history in October.
Team owner Clara Wu Tsai and her husband, Joe Tsai, purchased the Liberty in January 2019. Wu Tsai recently told Bloomberg that by the mid-2030s, she thinks the Liberty can be the “first billion-dollar women’s sports franchise.” Beginning next season, the WNBA will benefit from a new 11-year media rights deal worth about $200 million per year.
