After more than four decades under the Buss family, the Los Angeles Lakers are changing hands.
The Buss family is entering an agreement to sell majority ownership of the NBA franchise to Mark Walter, who is the CEO and chairman of TWG Global, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. Walter is also the primary owner and chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and he owns stakes in Chelsea in the English Premier League, an F1 team and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, among other things. He currently holds a minority stake of 26% in the Lakers, too.
The deal is expected to have a valuation of approximately $10 billion, which makes it the largest sale of a professional sports franchise in the world.
The Buss family reportedly will keep a minority share of about 15% for at least some time. Jeanie Buss, who has been the team’s governor since 2013, will continue in that role for the foreseeable future after the sale.
Jerry Buss first purchased the Lakers in 1979 for $67.5 million in a deal that also included the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and The Forum in Inglewood, California. The franchise passed down to his children after he died in 2013. The Buss family has owned about two-thirds of the Lakers prior to this sale.
Walter first joined the Lakers’ ownership group in 2021. According to a CNBC report earlier this year, the Lakers were valued at about $7 billion, which made them the third-most valuable team in the league behind only the New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors.
The Boston Celtics were the last NBA team to be sold when they struck a deal with a group led by Bill Chisholm earlier this year. The group purchased the Celtics for $6.05 billion, which set an NBA record. Controlling ownership of both the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks were sold in recent years, too.
The Lakers have shined under the Buss family’s leadership and become one of the premier franchises in all of sports. They’ve won 11 NBA titles under the Buss family, most recently in 2020, including a rare three-peat from 2000-02 with head coach Phil Jackson and star Kobe Bryant. Most recently, the team stunned the NBA world with its trade to acquire Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić this season.
Walters had the first right of refusal to purchase the Buss family’s 66% share after he bought Phil Anschutz’s stake of 26 percent in 2021.
Lakers Hall of Fame point guard Magic Johnson, who has played, coached and served as president under the Buss family — and is part of the Dodgers ownership group with Walter — congratulated both sides on the agreement.
“Laker fans should be estatic,” Johnson wrote on X. “A few things I can tell you about Mark – he is driven by winning, excellence, and doing everything the right way. AND he will put in the resources needed to win! I can understand why Jeanie sold the team to Mark Walter because they are just alike.”
While Jeanie is still set to control the Lakers, the Buss family selling the franchise marks the end of an era for the team that has led the NBA in a number of ways for decades.
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