Luka Doncic & LeBron James Excited About Ownership Sale

Wednesday marked a monumental day in NBA history as reports came out that the Buss family has sold their majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter.

Walter owns the L.A. Dodgers and had already purchased a minority stake in the Lakers in 2021, now taking over control, although Jeanie Buss is expected to remain in her position as Governor for the foreseeable future.

The Buss family had owned the Lakers since 1979 and the team won 11 championships under their watch. Walter will look to continue that winning tradition, aiming for something similar to what he has built for the Dodgers.

The report of the sale has brought on excitement amongst the Lakers fanbase, and it appears their stars Luka Doncic and LeBron James feels the same way, Dave McMenamin of ESPN reported on SportsCenter:

“Speaking to people close to both Luka and LeBron James, there’s excitement about this move for what it means for this team. Obviously having someone like Mark Walter doesn’t mean the salary cap goes out the window. There’s a new collective bargaining agreement in place that has punitive measures for teams that overspend. You lose draft picks, you can’t make trades and aggregate salaries, etc. when you reach towards the second apron. But what you can do os add extra spending towards your scouting department, your analytics department, your health and wellness staff, etc. to make it an even more inviting environment other than just have the 72 and sunny weather that we have out here in Southern California.”

James has yet to make an official decision on returning for a 23rd NBA season, although all indications are he will be back in 2025-26.

Meanwhile, Doncic is heading into his first full season in purple and gold and will be eligible for a contract extension in August. This ownership sale won’t impact the Lakers’ ability to build a better roster in the short-term, so the pressure is still on Rob Pelinka in the coming weeks to give Doncic a reason to sign the extension.

As Mcmenamin laid out though, the sale to Walter should pay dividends for the Lakers and their stars in the long term.

Magic Johnson excited about Mark Walter buying Lakers

Someone else who is excited about Mark Walter buying a majority ownership stake in the Lakers is Magic Johnson, who is part of the Dodgers’ ownership group with him.

Johnson took to social media to congratulate Walter, as well as Jeanie and the entire Buss family on this historic day.