It’s official. While the intrinsic value has always been at the top, the financials are starting to match as the Golden State Warriors were announced this morning to be the NBA’s most valuable team at an absolutely insane $7 billion, a historic number.

As mentioned, the New York Knicks were considered the most valuable team in the league, a position they split dominance over with the Los Angeles Lakers for the better part of the last 20 years. Located in the two most populous cities in the United States and therefore the biggest markets, it’s no surprise this was the case, but the recent success and entertainment value of the Warriors comes as even less surprise when looking at a myriad of metrics and how they often drive the success of the NBA’s viewership and ratings.

Credit should be given to the league as a whole, of course, as this recent valuation also marks a historic number for the entirety of the NBA: Per Forbes, the value of the average NBA franchise is now at $2.86 billion, a number that seemed impossible not too long ago, compounded by a massive growth of interest in basketball at the global level.

Commissioner Adam Silver has been lauded for his initiative in expanding the game outside of the league and interest within it overseas, and the Warriors have been a big draw of that because of how marketable they are with their homegrown superstars and interstellar talent. There’s no doubt this growth owes a major part of itself to how Golden State has engineered their victory machine, and the appeal that their high-pace style of play brings with it.

Plenty of credit for that victory machine should go to team owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, and their willingness to spend. Good investors know scared money doesn’t make money, and by going so deep into the luxury tax to keep a winning core together, the ownership group has made an investment that’s propelled the team’s value to new heights. Trusting Bob Myers and his guys to find the right players to make this all work and giving them the checks to do that is no small feat, and a huge reason of why the team has been at the top so long despite being at the bottom of the barrel less than 15 years ago.

But despite the front office doing an excellent job of putting the team together, the coaching staff’s sharp aptitude in putting together a winning stratagem, and the players themselves of executing night in and night out when it matters most, none of this is possible without Stephen Curry. “The System” was the only player in the league last season to generate over a billion views on NBA social media, and put on a legendary Finals performance netting over 400 million views itself as well.

The appeal of Stephen Curry comes from the fact that, by most NBA standards, he’s one of the smallest guys in the league, and is therefore more relatable to outsiders looking in. But despite his comparatively-average stature amongst the NBA’s giants, he’s otherworldly in his work ethic and talent, and it’s propelled him to superstardom. There’s never been a player like him before, turning the basic skills most often utilized by role players into gamebreakers that warp defenses. There’s almost no way to stop him because even without the ball, he needs defensive attention up to the half-court line. He takes the little things that you don’t need to be a physical specimen to do - shooting, dribbling, passing, off-ball movement - and shows the heights of what you can do with them. In the words of famous YouTuber and Curry stan FlightReacts, he’s just so inspirational.

The Warriors have started off this season with a 2-2 record, and a chance to rise above that mediocre start tonight against the Miami Heat, in a relatively similar spot. Regardless of what happens tonight though, the squad can rest easy knowing they’re still putting on the most in-demand show the NBA can offer after this valuation. They’ve got the support of millions, and no matter how things shake out, one thing is clear: The NBA’s best are officially the NBA’s most valuable.

(Photo credit: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)