Bob Iger, Joshua Kushner Agree To Buy Los Angeles Lakers For $12.5 billion

Reese, Pam and Alex discuss the sale of the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers sale has been a pretty remarkable turn of events. In 2025, Mark Walter bought majority control of the Lakers from the Buss family at a then-record valuation of $10B. The Buss family kept a minority stake, and Jeanie Buss remained involved as the team’s governor. Now, just about 14 months later, Walter has reportedly agreed to sell controlling interest to a group led by Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger for $12.5B, which would set another record for the most valuable sports franchise sale. The deal still requires NBA approval. Walter would make about $2.5B in value on the transaction in a little over a year. There has also been reporting about federal scrutiny surrounding some of Walter’s financial dealings, leading to speculation that financial or liquidity concerns could have played a role in his decision to sell, although that has not been established as the reason. Under the proposed deal, the Buss family would remain a minority owner, while Iger and Kushner’s group would take control of the franchise.

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