The Cavaliers appeared on national TV for 25 regular season games last year, tops for most in the league with the Celtics and the Lakers.
Obviously, LeBron James was key to the team playing so many games on ESPN/ABC and TNT.
That means that, wherever LeBron lands, there is greater value in the naming rights of the facilities he plays in.
Cleveland played 13 of its home games on national television last year, while no other team in the LeBron sweepstakes had more than five home games on national TV.
So the folks at Front Row Analytics, a sponsorship evaluation firm, have come up with how much value, in national television exposure, each arena would receive if James came to town next season.
Cleveland Cavaliers (Quicken Loans Arena) — $4,977,000
New Jersey Nets (Prudential Center) — $4,977,000
LA Clippers (Staples Center) — $3,828,462
Chicago Bulls (United Center — $3,445,615
Miami (American Airlines Arena) — $3,062,769
New York (Madison Square Garden) — $3,062,769
Front Row execs note that should LeBron leave Cleveland it will decrease the value of Quicken Loans Arena naming rights, whose namesake is the company of the owner Dan Gilbert, by $4.2 million to $700,000.
More On Courting LeBron:
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- The Power Of Maybe: LeBron Selling Knicks Tickets
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