Skip to Content

7 Best Basketball Business Franchises [Cost, Fees]

Do you want to start a basketball business by buying a franchise? If YES, here are 7 best basketball franchise opportunities for sale and their cost. Basketball is a uniquely American sport. It originated in 1891 when James Naismith, a young physical education teacher in Springfield, Massachusetts, was instructed by his boss to invent a new game that could be played indoors during the cold winter months to keep the students occupied and out of trouble.

After combining a couple of ideas, Naismith finally came up with basketball, a sport that is played by shooting balls into a basket hanging overhead. Basketball has gone on to become a very popular sport in the United States. It is a fact that all NBA teams generated combined revenues of almost 5.9 billion U.S. dollars in the 2015/16 season. The New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers are the NBA franchises that generated the most revenue, with 376 million U.S. dollars and 333 million U.S. dollars in revenue respectively.

While some successful basketball teams in the United States call themselves franchises, but that does not mean that other entrepreneurs can come and buy their franchise and use it to set up their own business. But be that as it may, there are businesses that focus their service offering on teaching people the game of basketball, and it is these ones that offer franchises that are up for sale.

Some of these are mostly sports franchises that teach youths and kid’s basketball as well as other related games. PickUp USA Fitness is for now the only sports franchise that focuses solely on the game of basketball. So, if you are a basketball lover and you want to start a business that focuses around this sport, we have listed out for you specific franchises that can enable you accomplish this mission.

7 Best Basketball Business Franchise Opportunities for Sale and Their Cost

  1. PickUp USA Fitness

PickUp USA Fitness is the first and only basketball-focused fitness club concept operating in the United States. PickUp USA Fitness Clubs are full-service basketball-focused gyms offering group & private basketball training, pickup basketball games with referees, full weight & cardio rooms, lounges, retail, and more!

The PickUp USA concept began in 2011 because playing basketball at gym facilities became a hassle. PickUp USA took 5 years to refine the system, processes and brand before franchising in 2016. PickUp USA delivers an unparalleled gym experience to their customers.

The company has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable and payroll.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $402,266 – $999,054
  • Net-worth Requirement – $600,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $300,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $35,000 – $35,000
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 6%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 1-2%
  • Veteran Incentives – 15% off franchise fee
  1. i9 Sports

Based in Tampa, Florida, i9 Sports is the nation’s first and largest youth sports league franchise business that has more than 2 million player registrations spanning hundreds of communities from New York to Hawaii. The franchise owners offer youth sports leagues, camps, and clinics for boys and girls aged 3 – 14 in today’s most popular sports such as flag football, soccer, basketball, and baseball.

Frank V. Fiume, Jr. founded i9 Sports in 2002 and began franchising in 2003. Franchisees operate local youth sports leagues, camps and clinics. Since their first franchise was sold in 2003, i9 Sports has given entrepreneurial individuals who have the desire to make a living doing something they love a time-tested way to achieve their dreams.

i9 Sports offers in-house financing to cover just the franchise fee and they have relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover only startup costs.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $36,500 – $69,900
  • Net-worth Requirement – $100,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $50,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $24,900 – $24,900
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 7.5%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – 1%
  • Veteran Incentives – 10% off franchise fee
  1. Kids In Sports

Kids In Sports was founded in 1999 by Michael Strutt and Kenneth Colon. This business is involved in teaching kids basketball among other sports. Both former collegiate sports athletes, Mike and Kenny hold degrees in Physical Education and Exercise Physiology. In addition to teaching, they’ve also worked professionally as accredited Personal Trainers and Coaches.

Together, they developed Kids In Sports to help younger children learn the fundamentals of sports, along with coordination, adaptability and improved social skills. Kids In Sports offers a comprehensive franchise training and support program to entrepreneurs who are are willing and ready to join their program.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $202,750
  • Net-Worth Requirement – $250,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement – $50,000
  1. RedLine Athletics

RedLine Athletics is a sport-specific training facility that was developed to help young athletes become stronger, faster and more powerful. RedLine Athletics provides the optimal mix of high-intensity athletic training, sport-specific training protocols and basketball-specific drills to make players a better athlete and basketball player.

Their core focus is on improving the basketball player’s foot speed, hand-eye coordination and reducing reaction time. According to their website, what separates them from all the others is their concentration on fully developing the entire bodies explosiveness and strength of the athlete.

For elite players, basketball is played above the rim, and they want their basketball athletes to be able to thrive in that elite atmosphere. RedLine’s basketball-specific program for youth athletes will greatly improve the ball-handling techniques at all positions, enhance the shooting touch for all players, and give basketball players that untouchable first step that is so difficult to guard against.

RedLine Athletics “Youth” Athletic Training Centers are focused on enhancing speed, power and core strength along with injury prevention of student athletes ages eight to eighteen. Based on the successful franchise formula developed by John Leonesio, RedLine Athletics has the potential to offer a high rate of return on investment with their signature youth sports training centers.

Prime franchise locations and Regional Developer opportunities are available right now. If you have a passion for sports, with a purpose to serve this underserved youth sports market, then you should own a RedLine Athletics Youth Athletic Training Center franchise.

Financial Requirements

  • Liquid capital required – $100,000
  • Net worth required – $300,000
  • Investment – $188,275 – $270,525
  • Franchise fee – $39,000
  1. D1 Sports Training

D1 stands out from the competition because it hires teams of highly qualified trainers, fitness experts and support personnel to provide clients with a level of fitness and training programs which is typically reserved for elite athletes at Division 1 schools. From baseball to basketball to volleyball, D1 Training gives athletes the chance to achieve their goals.

The D1 Sports Training model is built on small-group personal training classes and an athletic-focused philosophy, where the D1 facilities are able to focus on providing the best fitness programs on the market.

D1 Training franchise is a membership-based gym and boutique fitness franchise that provides individual and group training classes in a state-of-the-art facility, the likes of which are normally found on the campuses of the biggest schools and in the training centers of the best teams.

Their trainers provide instruction in basic athleticism, advanced cross-training and fitness and targeted workouts to improve overall performance. D1 trainers provide advanced athletic training for clients of all ages, from team conditioning for the junior high football team to strength and endurance classes for individuals looking to improve their overall health

D1 Sports Franchise LLC has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable and payroll.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial Investment – $221,500 – $492,200
  • Initial Franchise Fee – $59,500 – $59,500
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee – 6%
  • Ad Royalty Fee – $250/mo.
  • Veteran Incentives – 25% off first-unit franchise fee
  1. Legends Sports Leagues

Legends Sports Leagues is a not-for-profit organization providing recreational basketball and baseball leagues for both adults and youth since 2006 for Northern Virginia.

Legends Sports Leagues franchise offers you the opportunity to be part of a unique and exciting business venture. As the owner and operator of a Legends Sports League franchise, you will specialize in developing and managing organized sports leagues for basketball, baseball, golf, pickle ball, or other sports and organized recreational events within a specific geographic area.

Their franchise offerings include sports leagues for youth teams and adult teams within a geographic area. As a franchisee, you will operate within a specific territory, choose which sport or sports to include, and design each sport for either youth and/or adult participants.

Financial Requirements

  • Total Investment Range: $26,100 – $49,100
  • Franchise Fee: $15,000 – $25,000
  • Minimum Cash Required: $25,000
  1. Skyhawks Sports Academy

Skyhawks Sports Academy, Inc. provides skill-focused youth/kids/children sports camps and programs. It offers sports camps in areas such as baseball, basketball, multi-sports, etc. The company also provides kids sports equipment, apparel, and accessories online.

Skyhawks Sports Academy was founded in 1979 and is based Spokane, Washington. Skyhawks also provides franchise opportunities. As of 2018, the company operates 90 franchises in the United States and one outside the country.

Financial Requirements

  • Initial investments: $26,250 – $65,750
  • Net-worth Requirement: $100,000
  • Liquid Cash Requirement: $75,000
  • Initial Franchise Fee: $12,250 – $27,500
  • Ongoing Royalty Fee: 9 – 6%
  1. N Zone Sports

N Zone Sports operates youth sports leagues, camps and programs for children ages 3-14. They also offer programs in preschools which include exciting, fun, and age-specific instructions and skill sets. N Zone Sports offers Flag Football, Soccer, Basketball, Cheerleading, T-Ball, Golf, etc.

N Zone Sports franchisees organize and manage youth sports leagues and instructional sports camps at daycare centers and schools within a protected territory.

Financial Requirements

  • Minimum Cash Required – $30,000.
  • Veteran incentive – 10% discount available