On Tuesday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Buss family sold a majority stake of their ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter, chief executive officer of Guggenheim Partners. Walter is also part of the majority ownership group for the Los Angeles Dodgers. According to Charania, the organization was sold for $10 billion, while the Buss family will retain 15% of minority ownership.
Jeanie Buss, daughter of the late Dr. Jerry Buss, will retain her role as the team governor. Fans were excited after the news was made official. Walter was part of the ownership group that made significant changes to the Dodgers, which led to two World Series championships (2020 and 2024). The franchise also signed baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani to a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract.
Because the Dodgers weren’t afraid to spend money under Walter’s ownership, Lakers fans couldn’t hold their excitement.
According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, the people around Luka Doncic and LeBron James have expressed the stars’ excitement with the sale. McMenamin reported that the team could have extra spending money with the organization’s internal concerns.
“Speaking to people close to both Luka [Doncic] and LeBron James, there’s excitement about this move for what it means for this team,” McMenamin said.
“What you can do is add extra spending towards the scouting department, your analytics department, your health and wellness staff… to make it an even more inviting environment.”
"Speaking to people close to both Luka [Doncic] and LeBron James, there's excitement about this move for what it means for this team."
Dave McMenamin on the Lakers following their record sale
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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 19, 2025
The Los Angeles Lakers have a new era of basketball under Walter, who has proven to prioritize winning.
The news about the Los Angeles Lakers’ sale was a surprise to many. While others didn’t know how to react, former Lakers star Magic Johnson was enthusiastic with the move. Johnson went to X (formerly Twitter) to express his excitement.
First, he commneded Buss for selling the team for $10 billion.
“Job well done to my sister Jeanie Buss for striking an incredible deal and picking the right person to carry on the @Lakers legacy and tradition of winning – Mark Walter, my business partner and friend! Mark Walter is the best choice and will be the best caretaker of the Laker brand. The proof is in the pudding on what he’s been able to accomplish with the LA Dodgers. Mark has been nothing short of a winner notching 2 World Series and 11 NL West divisional titles in the last 12 years!” Johnson posted.
Job well done to my sister Jeanie Buss for striking an incredible deal and picking the right person to carry on the @Lakers legacy and tradition of winning – Mark Walter, my business partner and friend! Mark Walter is the best choice and will be the best caretaker of the Laker…
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) June 18, 2025
Next, he encouraged fans to be thrilled with the move.
“Laker fans should be estatic. A few things I can tell you about Mark – he is driven by winning, excellence, and doing everything the right way. AND he will put in the resources needed to win! I can understand why Jeanie sold the team to Mark Walter because they are just alike – they are competitive people, l have big hearts, love to give back, and both prefer to be behind the scenes. This makes all the sense in the world. I am so so SO happy and excited for @Lakers fans all over the world!!” the five-time champion posted.
Big things are expected of the Los Angeles Lakers.
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