Los Angeles Lakers sold for $12 billion
Josh Kushner and Bob Iger lead new ownership group, franchise flips again after last year’s $10 billion valuation
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The Los Angeles Lakers logo, printed three times on the wall, appears on the basketball court with reflections on the floor
nbcnews.com
Los Angeles Lakers are being sold for $12 billion to an ownership group led by Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, according to NBC News and ESPN. The deal was confirmed to NBC on Wednesday, and it arrives less than a year after the franchise was previously sold to businessman Mark Walter in October 2025. That earlier transaction valued the team at roughly $10 billion, NBC reports.
The speed of the repricing is the headline as much as the number. A storied NBA franchise has become an asset that can be marked up on a short clock, with the “stewardship” language of sports ownership sitting comfortably alongside the logic of capital gains. Kushner and Iger said in a statement that they are lifelong NBA fans and “honored” to take over, adding praise for Jerry and Jeanie Buss and promising to compete “at the highest level” while serving the team’s fans and the city of Los Angeles.
That kind of statement is standard in franchise sales, but the market around it has changed. Teams are increasingly treated like scarce financial instruments: a limited supply of globally recognizable brands with predictable media-driven cashflows and a fan base that can be monetized even when performance dips. A $12 billion price tag also sets a reference point for other owners and leagues when they negotiate media rights, sponsorship packages, and arena-related deals, because valuations become part of the story told to lenders and partners.
The buyers’ profiles matter too. Iger is best known as a media executive, and the Lakers’ value is inseparable from broadcast and streaming economics. Kushner is a major investor with a high-profile surname in US politics, which can be an advantage in a business that often intersects with city permits, real-estate interests, and public financing debates around sports facilities. None of that requires explicit political intervention; it simply means well-connected owners tend to have more doors that open quickly.
NBC notes that Mark Walter did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the new sale. The Lakers franchise, meanwhile, moves again—this time at a valuation that would have sounded implausible not long ago.
The sale was confirmed on Wednesday, and the number attached to it was $12 billion.