It was the transaction that shook the sports world.
In a surprise move, Los Angeles Lakers owner Mark Walter is selling the team to Robert Iger, the former CEO of Disney, and Josh Kushner, the brother of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
New head honchos
The announcement created many questions for the franchise — and for fans, especially those of the Lakers and the Dodgers, which Walter also owns.
After all, Walter has used his year or so in charge of the Lakers to bring over trusted execs from the Dodgers and integrate the two teams.
Walter has said he’s only selling the Lakers, not the Dodgers, so what happens to the Dodgerification of the Lakers now?
That remains to be seen, but both Walter and the Iger-Kushner combo have promised that the team will maintain their winning ways.
“Owning the Los Angeles Lakers has been one of the great honors of my life — an extraordinary investment, but what I will carry with me is the community, the fans, and a city that treats this team as family. I am grateful to Jeanie Buss, the Buss family, the players, and the staff for welcoming me into this chapter. The Lakers belong to Los Angeles, and I have every confidence the best is still ahead,” Walter said in a statement.
“As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honored for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world. We have immense respect for the leadership and vision of Jerry and Jeanie Buss,” Kushner and Iger said in a statement. “Our long-term commitment is to build on that foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles.”
LA Sports Report’s Ava Brand spoke to fans outside Crypto.com Arena to see how they’re feeling.
‘Shocked. Amazement.’
One fan told Ava that he experienced “shock” and “amazement” when he heard, especially given the price tag.
“Damn. 12 and a half billion dollars. Wow,” he said.
Another fan had an idea why that figure might be so large.
“Hey the Lakers, they’re expensive. They’re winners,” he said.
But no matter how much the team is sold for, that first fan said he’ll always remain loyal to the Purple and Gold.
“No, I’ll always be a Laker fan. Always, always. I’ve been a Laker fan since the Fabulous Forum days, since the Showtime days, so nothing is gonna change over here,” he said.
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