The Anaheim Ducks haven’t found their groove lately, missing the playoffs for seven straight seasons and finishing sixth in the Pacific Division this past year. But while the team struggles on ice, owner Henry Samueli’s financial success tells a completely different story.
Samueli has consistently ranked among America’s wealthiest sports owners, and his latest climb up the Forbes rankings reveals just how dramatically his fortune has grown in recent years.
Ducks Owner Henry Samueli Reaches #4 on Forbes’ Richest Owners List
The numbers behind Samueli’s wealth explosion are staggering. According to Forbes, his net worth has quadrupled over the past three years, jumping from $6.7 billion in 2022 to an astronomical $27.7 billion today. That represents a 313 percent increase that has reshuffled the entire Forbes rankings.
The Ducks franchise has experienced similar growth under his ownership. When Samueli acquired the team in 2005 for a modest $70 million, few could have predicted the team would eventually reach its current valuation of $1.3 billion. That’s nearly 1,800 percent growth over two decades.
The primary driver behind this meteoric rise? Broadcom, the chipmaker Samueli co-founded, has become essential infrastructure for the artificial intelligence boom. The company’s stock price surged from $163 last year to $297.39 in August, outperforming semiconductor heavyweights like Qualcomm, AMD, and Nvidia.
This performance catapulted Samueli from eighth place last year to the fourth spot on Forbes’ list of America’s richest sports team owners. His steady climb has been remarkable, moving from 16th in 2022to 12th in 2023, and now landing in the top four.
Beyond the Forbes sports ownership rankings, Samueli has also cracked the broader wealth stratosphere. He jumped from 132nd on the Forbes 400 last year to 34th this year, breaking into the top 50 wealthiest Americans for the first time.
However, the gap between Samueli and the top three remains substantial. Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO and Los Angeles Clippers owner, leads the pack with $153 billion after a 24 percent increase from his $124 billion last year. Much of Ballmer’s growth stems from Microsoft’s 21 percent year-on-year stock price jump.
The second and third positions belong to Rob Walton at $118 billion and Miriam Adelson at $37.9 billion, respectively. Yet Samueli holds one distinction that none of the wealthier owners can claim: he’s the only one who has guided his team to a championship.
Just two years after purchasing the Ducks, Samueli celebrated the franchise’s first and only Stanley Cup victory in 2007. Despite the Ducks’ recent struggles, the 70-year-old owner continues to invest heavily in the franchise’s future.
Samueli is committing another $1.1 billion to renovate Honda Center, the Ducks’ home venue since it opened in 1993. As the fourth-oldest arena in the NHL, the facility is due for significant upgrades that Samueli believes will transform the entire region.
The renovation serves as the centerpiece of OCVibe, a 100-acre entertainment district that Samueli is developing with an additional $4 billion investment.
Construction is expected to wrap up within three years, positioning the renovated Honda Center as a potential indoor venue for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.