Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner Buy Into LA Lakers at $12.5B Valuation
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger and VC founder Joshua Kushner have acquired Mark Walter's stake in the Los Angeles Lakers at a $12.5 billion valuation.
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger and venture capital founder Joshua Kushner have purchased a stake in the Los Angeles Lakers from current owner Mark Walter, with the deal pricing the storied NBA franchise at more than $12.5 billion, according to a source familiar with the transaction. The acquisition marks one of the highest valuations ever placed on a professional sports franchise in the United States.
Iger, who spent decades leading the Walt Disney Company and built it into a global entertainment powerhouse, brings deep media and entertainment credentials to one of the NBA's most marquee franchises. Kushner, founder of Thrive Capital and a prominent figure in Silicon Valley and New York investment circles, adds a younger generation of tech-aligned capital to the ownership group.
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The entry of two such high-profile names into Lakers ownership underscores the accelerating appetite among billionaires and business titans for top-tier sports assets, which have consistently appreciated in value over the past decade. The Lakers, with their storied championship history and global fan base, represent one of the most coveted franchises in all of professional sports, making a valuation north of $12 billion less surprising to analysts who track the sports finance market.
The seller, Mark Walter, is the controlling owner of the Lakers and also co-owns Chelsea Football Club. The terms of how much of his stake he is divesting were not detailed in initial reports, leaving open questions about the future composition of the franchise's ownership structure.
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