00:00Today on Forbes, America's Richest Sports Team Owners 2025
00:05Over the past three years, Henry Samueli has seen his fortune more than quadruple,
00:12from an estimated $6.7 billion in 2022 to $27.7 billion today. He can thank his Anaheim Ducks
00:22for some of that growth. The NHL franchise, which he bought for $70 million in 2005,
00:28has appreciated nearly 1,800% during his tenure as owner to $1.3 billion.
00:36Samueli has gotten a far bigger boost off the ice, however. The chairman and co-founder of chipmaker
00:42Broadcom, Samueli has reaped the rewards of the artificial intelligence boom. His semiconductor
00:48company, which produces essential hardware for the burgeoning industry, saw its share price climb
00:54to $279 by the end of August, from $163 a year earlier, far outperforming competing outfits
01:02such as NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and AMD. That rise has sent Samueli shooting up the ranking of America's
01:10richest sports team owners to number four, after he landed at number eight last year,
01:15number 12 in 2023, and number 16 in 2022. On the Forbes 400, which was released last week,
01:23and which ranks the wealthiest individuals in the United States, the 70-year-old billionaire
01:28came in at number 34 overall. Samueli isn't the only team owner to post big gains in the public markets.
01:37The Los Angeles Clippers' Steve Ballmer, who tops the American list for the 11th consecutive year,
01:42and also came in at number one in the global sports owner ranking in April, has widened his lead
01:47thanks to a 21% year-over-year jump in the share price at Microsoft, the tech giant where he used
01:53to serve as CEO. Ballmer is now worth an estimated $153 billion, $35 billion beyond the second-richest
02:02American team owner, Walmart heir Rob Walton, who controls the Denver Broncos. Only six individuals
02:09in the U.S. have bigger fortunes than Ballmer. Robert Perra, who ranks sixth among team owners
02:15this year at $24 billion, also saw huge growth on the public markets, as the share price at Ubiquiti,
02:22the wireless equipment company he founded in 2003, more than doubled over the past year,
02:28reaching $528 to close out August, up from $194. Perra's net worth, meanwhile,
02:35has surged 140%, making him the only member of the sports owner ranking to outpace Samueli's 64%.
02:43And while Perra's Memphis Grizzlies are the NBA's least valuable team, the franchise appreciated an
02:49estimated $600 million in Forbes' most recent valuations, and is now worth $3 billion.
02:55Together, America's 20 richest sports team owners are worth an estimated $607 billion,
03:04a 20% increase from 2024's $504 billion. Their holdings include controlling stakes in 11 teams
03:13from the NBA, 8 from the NFL, 5 from Major League Soccer, 4 from the NHL, 2 from European Men's Soccer,
03:21and 1 each from MLB and the Women's Super League, the highest level of English soccer.
03:27And as exclusive as this club is, it's only getting harder to crack.
03:31The cutoff for this year's Top 20 is $10.1 billion, in a tie between the Miami Heat's
03:37Mickey Arison, who also serves as chairman of cruise ship operator Carnival Corporation,
03:43and the Detroit Pistons' Tom Gores, who made his money in private equity.
03:47The cutoff of this year's Top 20 represents a 53% leap from $6.6 billion just three years ago.
03:55The Cleveland Cavaliers' Dan Gilbert was the only owner in this year's crop to see his fortune decline
04:01this year. But even with his net worth falling 19% to $26.7 billion, the rocket company's founder
04:08is in no danger of dropping out of the Top 20. The same goes for the Miami Dolphins' Stephen Ross,
04:14a real estate magnate who is flat year over year and is worth $17 billion.
04:21For full coverage and to see the whole list, check out Justin Birnbaum and Sofia Ciarcio's
04:27piece on Forbes.com. This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes. Thanks for tuning in.
05:01.
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