The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the most storied franchises in the NBA, and in 2026 the team remains firmly under the control of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, the ownership group led by billionaire businessman Josh Harris and his longtime partner David Blitzer.
The pair bought the franchise back in 2011, and since then they have transformed the Sixers from a struggling small market club into a team valued among the top tier of the league.
Ownership of an NBA franchise is rarely a simple story of a single name on a deed.
It usually involves a managing partner, a wide circle of limited partners, corporate entities, and league approved governance rules that decide who actually controls the vote at Board of Governors meetings.
The 76ers fit that pattern closely, with Harris serving as the public face and Alternate Governor while a broad roster of investors, including celebrities and fellow sports moguls, holds smaller equity slices behind the scenes.
This guide breaks down exactly who owns the Philadelphia 76ers today, how the ownership group came together, what the franchise is currently worth according to Forbes, the status of a new arena project, and whether a sale of the team is realistic in the near future.
| Philadelphia 76ers Quick Facts | |
| Principal Owner | Josh Harris |
| Co Managing Partner | David Blitzer |
| Ownership Group | Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment (HBSE) |
| Purchase Year | 2011 |
| Purchase Price | $280 million |
| 2026 Forbes Valuation | $5.45 billion |
| League | NBA, Atlantic Division, Eastern Conference |
| Current Arena | Xfinity Mobile Arena, South Philadelphia |
| Future Arena | New South Philadelphia Arena, targeted for 2031 |
| Notable Investors | Michael Rubin, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Erick Thohir |
Table of Contents
Meet the Owner: Josh Harris and Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment
Josh Harris is the Managing Partner and Alternate Governor of the Philadelphia 76ers, and he built his fortune long before he entered the sports world.
He co founded the private equity firm Apollo Global Management and later launched a second investment platform called 26North, giving him the financial base to lead one of the largest ownership groups in professional sports.
David Blitzer, a senior executive at Blackstone, serves as Co Managing Partner and has been Harris’s partner on nearly every major sports acquisition since 2011.
Together the two men operate under the umbrella of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, commonly known as HBSE, which also owns the New Jersey Devils of the NHL, the Prudential Center arena in Newark, and a general partnership stake in England’s Crystal Palace Football Club.
Managing Partner and Alternate Governor of the Philadelphia 76ers
Co Managing Partner and Vice Chairman
Michael Rubin, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, Erick Thohir and other minority investors
Parent company overseeing the 76ers, the New Jersey Devils, Prudential Center, and additional media and technology ventures
A Timeline of 76ers Ownership
Franchise ownership rarely stays still for long, and the Sixers have passed through several eras before landing with the current group.
The NBA’s official announcement of the 2011 sale remains the clearest record of how the current ownership era began.
Here is the ownership story from the Comcast Spectacor years to today.
Ed Snider’s Comcast Spectacor gains control of the Sixers as part of a broader Philadelphia sports and arena portfolio.
An investor group fronted by Josh Harris and David Blitzer purchases the 76ers from Comcast Spectacor for $280 million, and the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approves the sale.
Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment is established as the formal parent company overseeing the 76ers and, soon after, the New Jersey Devils.
Forbes values the franchise at $2.1 billion as HBSE grows the team’s media, sponsorship, and real estate businesses.
Josh Harris leads a group that buys the NFL’s Washington Commanders for more than $6 billion while remaining Managing Partner of the 76ers.
The 76 Place project in Market East is scrapped after community opposition, and HBSE announces a joint venture with Comcast Spectacor for a new arena in South Philadelphia.
Forbes lists the 76ers at $5.45 billion, and after a second round playoff exit the team fires Daryl Morey and names Bob Myers interim president of basketball operations.
How Much Are the Philadelphia 76ers Worth in 2026
According to Forbes, the Philadelphia 76ers carry a 2026 valuation of $5.45 billion, a figure that has grown at a remarkable pace since the franchise was worth roughly $2.1 billion just six years earlier.
The team generated about $472 million in revenue during the 2024 25 season, with operating income around $203 million and a debt to value ratio near 2 percent, a sign that HBSE has kept the franchise financially conservative even as its price tag has soared.
That growth mirrors a broader trend across the NBA, where national television deals, legalized sports betting partnerships, and a wave of new arena projects have pushed franchise values upward across the entire league.
The Sixers now sit comfortably in the middle tier of NBA valuations, well ahead of the smaller market clubs but still trailing marquee brands like the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Lakers.
Is Josh Harris A Good Owner
Opinions among Philadelphia fans are genuinely mixed.
On one hand, Harris and Blitzer rescued a franchise that was in rough shape in 2011 and turned it into a perennial playoff contender with one of the most recognizable stars in the sport in Joel Embiid.
Financially, the ownership group has been extremely successful, more than doubling the team’s value and investing heavily in the practice facility and front office infrastructure.
On the other hand, critics point to the team’s inability to advance past the second round of the playoffs for over two decades, several controversial front office decisions, and the messy, years long fight over the 76 Place arena proposal that ultimately collapsed.
The May 2026 firing of Daryl Morey after another early postseason exit added fuel to the argument that ownership has struggled to translate financial success into championship results.
Compared with some of the league’s more hands off owners, Harris is known for being actively involved, which supporters view as a sign of commitment and detractors view as a source of instability at the top of the organization.
Are the 76ers For Sale In 2026
There is no indication that Josh Harris or David Blitzer intend to sell the Philadelphia 76ers in 2026.
Harris has repeatedly described the team as a long term family asset, and HBSE has been actively expanding rather than exiting, most notably through the new South Philadelphia arena project it is co developing with Comcast Spectacor.
What has changed is Harris’s broader sports portfolio.
His 2023 purchase of the Washington Commanders and reported activity around a stake in the Pittsburgh Steelers show that he continues to add teams rather than shed them, even as league rules on private equity ownership loosen and make it easier for outside capital to buy small equity stakes in clubs like the Sixers.
A full sale of the franchise remains unlikely in the near term, though minor equity transactions among limited partners are common and rarely disclosed publicly.
The New Arena Situation Explained
For years the biggest ownership headline surrounding the Sixers had nothing to do with basketball.
HBSE spent years pushing a downtown proposal called 76 Place at Market East, a plan that faced fierce and sustained opposition from residents and business owners in Philadelphia’s Chinatown.
Even after the Philadelphia City Council approved the project in December 2024, HBSE abandoned it just weeks later, on January 13, 2025.
In its place, HBSE and Comcast Spectacor, owner of the Philadelphia Flyers, announced a 50 50 joint venture to build a new arena at the site of the old Spectrum, within the existing South Philadelphia Sports Complex.
Oak View Group’s OVG360 division will manage the venue, which is expected to also host Philadelphia’s incoming WNBA expansion franchise.
Construction targets an opening around 2030, with executives publicly citing 2031 as a more conservative estimate to account for delays.
Until the new building opens, the 76ers continue to play at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Minority Owners and Celebrity Investors
Josh Harris and David Blitzer did not buy the Sixers alone.
Their original 2011 group included retail billionaire Michael Rubin, founder of Fanatics, along with entertainers Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, and Indonesian media mogul Erick Thohir.
Several of those original partners remain connected to the ownership structure today, though the exact size of each individual stake is not made public, which is typical across the NBA.
According to Wikipedia, HBSE has grown well beyond the 76ers and Devils since 2011, expanding into esports through Dignitas, minor league basketball and hockey affiliates, a sports technology venture fund called HBSEv, and a general partnership in Crystal Palace Football Club in England.
This diversified structure gives limited partners exposure to a broader portfolio rather than a single team.
How the 76ers Compare to Other NBA Ownership Groups
HBSE’s model, a small core of managing partners paired with a wide circle of limited partners, is common across the league.
It mirrors structures used by teams like the Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks, where a lead investor fronts the franchise while dozens of passive partners hold minority stakes for tax and diversification reasons.
What sets the Sixers apart is the multi league scope of the ownership group, since Harris also controls the Commanders and Blitzer sits on the board of multiple other sports and entertainment ventures through HBSE.
The NBA has also relaxed its rules around institutional capital, now permitting private equity funds like Arctos Partners to hold passive stakes across a larger number of teams.
While there is no confirmed institutional stake in the 76ers specifically as of 2026, the trend gives HBSE another potential avenue to raise capital for the new arena without giving up control of the team itself.
What Fans Should Watch For Next
Three storylines will define the next chapter of Sixers ownership.
First is the front office, where Bob Myers’s interim run as president of basketball operations will determine whether he takes the job on a permanent basis after replacing Daryl Morey in May 2026.
Second is the new arena, which needs to clear remaining permitting and construction milestones on the South Philadelphia site over the coming years.
Third is the broader ownership picture, since Josh Harris continues to juggle the 76ers alongside the Commanders and his private equity career, prompting occasional speculation about whether he could eventually reduce his role with one franchise to focus on another.
For fans who want a broader view of how ownership works across professional sports, it can help to see how other leagues and organizations are structured.
Our breakdown of who owns the NFL and our look at who owns FIFA both show how ownership and governance rules differ from league to league.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the principal owner of the Philadelphia 76ers
Josh Harris is the Managing Partner and Alternate Governor of the 76ers, having led the purchase of the team alongside David Blitzer in 2011.
What is Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment
HBSE is the parent company that oversees the 76ers along with the New Jersey Devils, Prudential Center, and a range of media, esports, and technology ventures owned by Harris and Blitzer.
How much are the Philadelphia 76ers worth
According to Forbes, the 76ers were valued at $5.45 billion in 2026, up from $2.1 billion in 2020.
Will the 76ers get a new arena
Yes, HBSE and Comcast Spectacor are jointly building a new arena in South Philadelphia at the old Spectrum site, targeted to open around 2030 or 2031, after the downtown 76 Place proposal was scrapped in January 2025.
I am Jack Neel, a mechanical engineer, researcher, and writer. I created this website to share my knowledge about different brands and products with you. I research the manufacturers behind the brands and provide you with the information you need to make smart buying decisions.