Sport

Mark Walter buys the LA Lakers for $10 billion from the Buss family

The historic LA Lakers basketball team is being sold to Mark Walter for a record $10 billion

19 June 2025Aggiornato alle ore 09:35

La maglia dei Los Angeles Lakers. I Los Angeles Lakers stanno vendendo in un record di 10 miliardi $ che rende l’iconica franchigia la squadra sportiva più preziosa nella storia degli Stati Uniti, Espn ha riferito il 18 giugno 2025. (Foto di Ronald Martinez / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

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Magic Johnson enthusiast

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The Los Angeles Lakers, the legendary National basketball association franchise that has won 17 championships, second only to the Boston Celtics (18), will be sold at a record value of $10 billion, according to information gathered by the American media, primarily Espn also reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The Buss family has agreed to sell its majority stake to Mark Walter, minority shareholder since 2021 and owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers - baseball - and ad of the investment bank Guggenheim partners based in Chicago and New York. Walter is an American entrepreneur born in 1960 in Iowa. Walter also owns the Wnba's Los Angeles Sparks (women's basketball), the new Cadillac Formula One team (motor racing) and the professional women's hockey league.

The price beats the record for a professional sports team set in March by the Celtics, who were bought for $6.1 billion by a group led by Bill Chisholm.

Prior to the Celtics' sale, the Washington Commanders of the National football league - American football - had been sold to a group led by Josh Harris, co-founder of Apollo management, for $6.05 billion.

The Nba has seen a number of transactions in recent years. Before the Celtics, the Phoenix Suns were purchased by Mat Ishbia for $4 billion.

The Dallas Mavericks were sold to the Adelson family for $3.5 billion, and former NBA superstar Michael Jordan sold the Charlotte Hornets for $3 billion. Also on the market are the Portland Trail blazers.

The Buss family had bought the Lakers for $67.5 million in 1979.Jeanie Buss has led the team since the death of her father Jerry Buss in 2013. She will remain as president.

Magic Johnson enthusiastic

Sponsor of the deal, Lakers legend Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, Walter's business partner, who was among the first to comment on the news. "Lakers fans should be ecstatic," Johnson wrote on X. "A couple of things I can tell you about Mark: he is motivated by winning, excellence and doing everything right. And he will put forth the resources he needs to win! I understand why Jeanie Buss sold the team to Mark Walter, because they are just alike."