The storied Los Angeles Lakers franchise made an ownership move that’s become one of the biggest stories in basketball as of late.
The Buss family has sold the organization at a $10 billion valuation to Mark Walter, somebody plenty of Los Angeles sports fans are already quite familiar with.
Walter is the primary owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Dodgers have been among the more well-run organizations in all of professional sports during his tenure. Los Angeles has qualified for the playoffs for more than 10 years in a row and also has won a pair of World Series since the start of this decade.
Lakers star guard Luka Doncic took to X to weigh in on the news of the team’s massive sale, and he indicated that he’s excited about the chance to work with Walter moving forward.
“The Lakers are an amazing organization,” he wrote on X. “I’m looking forward to meeting Mark and excited about the future. I am also grateful to Jeanie [Buss] and the Buss family for welcoming me to LA, and I’m happy that Jeanie will continue to be involved. I look forward to working with both of them to win championships!”
The Slovenian is nearing the end of his current contract, but it’s safe to claim that Walter and the Lakers are looking to keep him around for the long haul. Just several months ago, Los Angeles traded one of the best big men in the NBA in Anthony Davis along with guard Max Christie and a first-round pick to the Dallas Mavericks for Doncic.
Doncic will be eligible for a lucrative contract extension from the Lakers as soon as this summer. Los Angeles can sign him to up to a four-year, $229 million deal after he averaged 28.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game across 28 contests with the team in the 2024-25 regular season.
Maybe the Lakers’ decision to hand the ownership keys over to Walter will help to sway Doncic to sign a long-term extension with the team in the near future. After all, Walter ostensibly could give the Lakers the financial aid they need to go after high-quality players in the near future without getting too negatively impacted by the luxury tax, as he is a billionaire.
It should be interesting to see how Walter taking over as the Lakers’ owner will impact the team’s success in the years to come.