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Buss family to sell majority stake in Lakers
Jeanie Buss and Jay Mohr attend a Lakers' home basketball game in February.
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Allen Berezovsky
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Topline:
The Buss family has reportedly agreed to sell its majority ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers to Dodgers chairman Mark Walter for $10 billion. ESPN's Shams Charania broke the story.
Mark Walter is entering agreement to purchase majority ownership of the Lakers from the Buss family for a valuation of approximately $10 billion, the largest sale of a professional sports franchise in the world, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 18, 2025
$10 billion. https://t.co/mgZkxcdXnp
The backstory and why it matters: The sale would be a major shakeup in Lakers ownership. The Buss family has owned the team since Dr. Jerry Buss bought them for $67.5 million in 1979. Under the Buss family's ownership, the Lakers have won 11 NBA championships. Mark Walter has had plenty of his own success with the Dodgers since his ownership group bought them in 2012, turning them into a perennial playoff team and winning World Series titles in 2020 and 2024.
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What's next: Jeannie Buss will reportedly continue in her role as Lakers governor under the deal. The Associated Press reports that Walter and the Buss family say they expect the deal to close in the third or fourth quarter of 2025.
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