The keys to the Los Angeles Lakers are set to change hands.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Jeanie Buss, whose family had owned the Lakers since 1979, would be selling her family’s majority stake in the team to minority owner Mark Walter. Walter is the CEO of TWG Global, which has stakes in several other sports properties, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Sparks, and the Cadillac Formula 1 team set to debut next season.
The sale would value the Lakers at $10 billion. It’s the highest team sale price in the history of sports.
Media members and fans across the NBA world were shocked by the news—both that the Buss family was giving up its majority stake, and also the mind-blowing price that they were getting in return.
This is a big deal. https://t.co/TgSAto9i4A
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) June 18, 2025
Massive sports world-shaking news. The Lakers sale will easily be a record breaking transaction. https://t.co/026ngyeWr4
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) June 18, 2025
HOW MUCH? https://t.co/AofVuHAIXl pic.twitter.com/lGrO7HE6GU
— Carl Anka (@Ankaman616) June 18, 2025
TEN BILLY?!?!? https://t.co/Pa7PNpC0ia pic.twitter.com/gQZQ0iQ4Ya
— claire de lune (@ClaireMPLS) June 18, 2025
$10 BILLION, $10 BILLION, $10 BILLION DOLLARS!!!!! https://t.co/35d9WTsdwr
— Kevin Gray Jr. (@KevinGraySports) June 18, 2025
The next chapter of the Lakers should be an exciting one, or at the very least, an expensive one.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Fans Couldn't Believe Hefty Price Tag Lakers Fetched in Franchise Sale.