The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold again. Barely a year after Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter purchased the historic franchise for a then-record price of $10 billion, he is selling it to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for $12.5 billion, according to ESPN.
Kushner and Iger, the former CEO of Disney, had been exploring ownership of an expansion franchise in Las Vegas, but have instead pivoted to take control of the Lakers.
“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,” Kushner and Iger wrote in a statement. “We have immense respect for the leadership and vision of Jerry and Jeanie Buss. 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.”
Kushner, the younger brother of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared, was previously a minority owner of the Memphis Grizzlies and bought less than a 5% stake in the Miami Heat last year. His wife, supermodel Karlie Kloss, has a limited partnership stake in the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
| Lakers | $12.5B |
| Seahawks | $9.6B |
| Celtics | $6.1B |
| Commanders | $6.05B |
| Broncos | $4.65B |
| Suns/Mercury | $4B |
Prior to being sold to Walter in June of 2025, the Lakers had been owned by the Buss family since 1979, when Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the team from Jack Kent Cooke. Buss turned the Lakers into one of the league’s most popular and successful franchises. The Lakers’ 17 championships (12 of which have been won in Los Angeles) are second only to the Boston Celtics (18) for the most in NBA history.
Neither the Sparks nor the Dodgers are part of the sale, according to multiple reports.
Outside of the owners’ suite, the Lakers are also undergoing changes on the court. Most notably, LeBron James left in free agency after eight seasons with the organization to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, turning the team over to Luka Dončić. Together with Austin Reaves and recently acquired big man Walker Kessler, Dončić will try to lead the Lakers back into title contention. Since their last championship in 2020, the Lakers have only won three playoff series and have advanced past the second round just once. Given the questions about their depth and the greatness of the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs at the top of the Western Conference, Dončić has a tall task in front of him. The Lakers currently have the sixth-best odds (+2500, per FanDuel) to win the West.
Walter, who owns MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers, the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and the entire PWHL, is also the CEO of Guggenheim Partners, an investment and wealth management firm based in New York City. In July, Bloomberg reported that last year, “federal prosecutors in Manhattan began examining Guggenheim’s $362 billion money management arm.” Regulators are reportedly investigating whether Walter and Guggenheim properly disclosed billions of dollars of loans.
“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,” Walter said in a statement. “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.”
CBS Sports will have more on this breaking news story.
