Apr 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) passes against the Houston Rockets during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Los Angeles, California – The Los Angeles Lakers, a glitzy outlier in an increasingly corporate sports landscape, are undergoing a seismic shift. The Buss family, who have owned the team since 1979, are selling a controlling stake to billionaire investor Mark Walter in a deal that values the iconic franchise at an eye-popping $10 billion.
For 45 years, the Lakers were more than a basketball team — they were a family business. First under the flamboyant Dr. Jerry Buss, then through the sometimes turbulent stewardship of his children, the Lakers embodied a kind of dynastic intimacy that stood in stark contrast to the modern era of sports ownership. That model, while romantic, also revealed its limitations as franchise values soared and the competition for elite talent intensified.
With Walter and his Guggenheim Partners consortium stepping in, the Lakers join a growing number of major teams transitioning from generational family ownership to deep-pocketed institutional leadership. It’s a pivot that reflects the broader economic reality of American sports — where sentiment and legacy often yield to scale and capital.
Walter is already a familiar name in Los Angeles sports. He helped transform the Dodgers from a dysfunctional franchise into a perennial World Series contender after acquiring the team for $2 billion in 2012. His stewardship has been defined by a willingness to invest boldly and strategically — and Lakers fans now hope for a similar commitment to winning, especially in a league governed by strict salary cap rules that reward resourceful, well-funded operations.
The Buss family, despite their championship pedigree, never commanded the same financial firepower. Jeanie Buss, the team’s current governor and the most prominent of Jerry’s seven children, was known for balancing loyalty with fiscal caution. Her decision to sell — while retaining a minority share and remaining in a governing role for now — represents both a practical response to the demands of modern ownership and the final chapter in a uniquely personal era of Lakers history.
Jerry Buss famously bought the Lakers, the Kings, and the Forum for just $67.5 million in 1979. In the decades since, the team has won 11 NBA titles under family leadership and become a cultural juggernaut. But with LeBron James nearing retirement and Luka Don?i? now poised as the franchise’s future, the timing of the sale suggests a strategic handing of the torch.
The Lakers are entering a new era — one still rooted in legacy, but finally matched with the financial force that defines today’s champions.
