BASKETBALL
Buss family selling Lakers for $10B
The Buss family has agreed to sell the controlling stake of the Los Angeles Lakers to TWG Global CEO Mark Walter, doing so with a franchise valuation of $10 billion -- the most ever for a professional sports franchise, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Wednesday.
As part of the deal, Jeanie Buss -- whose family has had control of the Lakers since her father bought the team in 1979 -- intends to remain as team governor, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side immediately announced details.
It is not clear how much more of the Lakers that Walter is acquiring. He was part of a group that bought 27% of the Lakers in 2021.
Walter and TWG Global already had the controlling interest in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Premier League club Chelsea, the Professional Women's Hockey League, and -- through TWG Motorsports -- owns several auto racing teams including Cadillac Formula 1.
The agreement for the sale of the Lakers comes about three months after Bill Chisholm agreed to buy the Boston Celtics with an initial valuation of $6.1 billion -- that topping the previous mark of $6.05 billion sale for the NFL's Washington Commanders.
And now, $10 billion -- not just a record, but a total smashing of the previous mark.
The Lakers have been in the control of the Buss family for 46 years, the longest of any current NBA franchise. Herb Simon bought the Indiana Pacers -- currently in the NBA Finals -- in 1983, the second-longest current ownership of an NBA club.
Jerry Buss bought the Lakers for $67.5 million and left the club to his family when he died.
FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter, right, talks with manager Don Mattingly prior to their baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Sept. 3, 2012, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter, right, talks with manager Don Mattingly prior to their baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Sept. 3, 2012, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
FILE - Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James appears during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, on Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
FILE - Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James appears during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, on Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)