The Buss family has agreed to sell the majority ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers to TWG Global CEO and chairman and Los Angeles Dodgers majority owner Mark Walter for a franchise valuation of approximately $10 billion, which would be the largest sale of a professional sports franchise in the world.
The price beats the previous records set during the $6.1 billion sale of the Boston Celtics in 2025 and the $6.05 billion sale of the NFL’s Washington Commanders in 2023. Walter’s purchase of the Dodgers in 2012 as part of the Guggenheim contingency ranks 12th all-time.
Walter has served as a minority stakeholder in the Lakers since 2021 and also has interests in the Los Angeles Sparks, the Billie Jean Cup, Cadillac Formula One team and the Professional Women’s Hockey League.
Lakers controlling owner Jeanie Buss, the daughter of late former owner Dr. Jerry Buss, will reportedly continue to serve her role as the team’s governor after the completion of the sale.
Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers from the late Jack Kent Cooke for $67.5 million in 1979, a deal that also included the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings and the Los Angeles Forum, the team’s home arena until 1999. Dr. Buss died in 2013, with his daughter taking over as the team’s governor ever since.
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