A Second Record Sale in Barely a Year
The deal, and why the timing is so unusual
In the world of NBA franchise sales, the Lakers are playing an entirely different game. Just fourteen months ago, the team made headlines with a record-setting $10 billion sale. Now they've stunned the league again, selling for $12.5 billion — a $2.5 billion jump in a little over a year.
Mark Walter bought the Lakers in 2025 for $10 billion, adding them to a portfolio that already included the Los Angeles Dodgers. He'd originally hoped to mirror the Dodgers' success with the Lakers — but when Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger came in with a $12.5 billion offer, it proved hard to pass up. It doesn't hurt that Kushner is Jared Kushner's brother, and that Iger, who stepped away as Disney CEO in March, still sits on Disney's board. The timing lined up almost perfectly with Iger's exit.
A Franchise Built on Legacy
From the Detroit Gems to 17 championship banners
The Lakers joined the NBA in 1949, when the BAA and NBL merged — meaning the franchise has been part of the league since its founding. Before Los Angeles, they were the Minneapolis Lakers, and before that, a team called the Detroit Gems.
Three arenas, one city
Crypto.com Arena was originally known as Staples Center.
17 championships
Highlighted years mark back-to-back or three-peat title runs — 1952-54, 1982-88, 2000-02, and 2009-10.
How It Stacks Up Against Other Sales
The league's value has been climbing across the board
The Lakers' jump isn't happening in isolation — it's the latest data point in a league-wide climb in franchise values.
The Celtics' $6.1 billion sale alone surpassed the Suns' $4 billion purchase from two years earlier — itself a sign of how quickly the ceiling keeps rising. Set against a franchise that sold for $360 million in 2002, the Lakers' $12.5 billion price tag shows just how far the league's business has come.
What Stays the Same on the Court
Ownership changes, the roster doesn't — yet
Jeanie Buss will remain governor of the team through the transition, a condition built into the original 2025 sale agreement. According to the Los Angeles Times, she's set to hold the role for at least five more years, even as management changes around her.
On the basketball side, head coach JJ Redick is signed through the 2029-30 season, leading a roster built around Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, Dalton Knecht, and recent addition Walker Kessler.
With ownership settled and the roster intact, the hope in Los Angeles is that stability off the court sets up another run at a three-peat — the kind the franchise last pulled off in 2002.