How the Golden State Warriors plan to become more than a basketball team

The Golden State Warriors are getting back to business.

After two years of pandemic challenges, the NBA franchise has resumed its plan to become the most valuable sports franchise in the world. The Warriors are valued at more than $5 billion, up from a $3.5 billion value before the pandemic, and projected to eclipse $700 million in revenue this year, according to people familiar with the team's financials.

The club has a plan for driving growth that includes a new cash stream in the recently launched Golden State Entertainment division. The venture follows similar efforts in rolling out an in-house ticket exchange, a partnership with a cryptocurrency company, and leveraging the blockchain sector to cash in on NFTs, or non-fungible tokens.

All just two years after the Warriors moved into the $1.4 billion Chase Center in San Francisco, where the team monetizes surrounding real estate and maintains a tenant and equity partner in Uber.

The team's President and Chief Operating Officer, Brandon Schneider, says the projects are key to becoming a force off the basketball court like it is on.

"Disney started as a theme park," Schneider told CNBC. "The Warriors started as a basketball team. Look at what Disney has become, and look at what the Warriors are becoming."

Schneider spoke to CNBC on April 14, a day removed from his first anniversary of being announced Warriors president. He took over the position from longtime executive Rick Welts who retired last year.

He said the Warriors goal is to transform into "global leaders in experiences and entertainment." And he added the organization would "leverage the strength of the brand" and innovate around technology "because we're in the Bay Area, the technology epicenter of the world."