A blockbuster $12.5B deal as Josh
Kushner and Bob Iger agree to buy the Lakers, AP source says
[August 13, 2026]
By GREG BEACHAM
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold for the
second time in a year, going to businessmen Josh Kushner and Bob
Iger for a record-breaking price.
This sale agreement is $12.5 billion, according to a person familiar
with the terms who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of
anonymity Wednesday because neither side revealed specific details
of the latest stunning development with one of North America's
marquee sports teams.
ESPN first reported that Kushner and Iger are buying the NBA's most
valuable franchise. The Lakers were valued last year at $10 billion
— a record for a pro sports team — when Mark Walter purchased a
controlling stake from the Buss family, which had owned the team
since 1979.
“As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honored for the opportunity to
become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic
sports franchises in the world,” Iger and Kushner said in a
statement. “We have immense respect for the leadership and vision of
Jerry and Jeanie Buss. Our long-term commitment is to build on that
foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this
extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles.”
Kushner, a venture capitalist, and former Walt Disney Company CEO
Iger had been working together on landing a possible NBA expansion
team for Las Vegas. By buying the Lakers, they don't have to wait
until the possibility of expansion in the 2028-29 season at the
earliest.
Lakers icon Magic Johnson, a partner in Walter's ownership of
baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, praised the deal on social media.
“Laker fans, you couldn’t have two better owners,” Johnson wrote.
“I’ve known Bob personally for over 40 years — he has always loved
the Lakers and basketball and he will bring championships back to
LA.”
The sale still will need approval from the NBA’s board of governors,
and that process can take several weeks. The next board meeting is
set for September in New York.
The $12.5 billion price tag is not only a record for U.S. pro sports
but a new summit in skyrocketing NBA franchise values. Only three
years ago, Michael Jordan sold his majority stake in the Charlotte
Hornets for a $3 billion valuation, while the Boston Celtics were
sold last year to private equity mogul Bill Chisholm at a valuation
of just over $6 billion.
Walter’s agreement to purchase a controlling stake in the Lakers at
the $10 billion valuation last summer obliterated that mark, and now
Iger and Kushner have pushed the bar even higher.
The 66-year-old Walter’s shocking decision to sell after just 10
months of official ownership is reverberating throughout the team’s
massive fan base, which appeared to be uniformly excited about the
purchase last year. Walter has stewarded the Dodgers into the most
successful stretch in franchise history, with three World Series
championships in the past six seasons as the most aggressive
spenders in baseball.
Multiple media outlets last month reported that Walter’s business
empire is under scrutiny from both federal prosecutors and the
Securities and Exchange Commission in tax fraud investigations.
The Lakers are 17-time NBA champions who won their most recent title
in 2020. They've made the playoffs in each of the past four seasons,
and their current roster is built around NBA scoring champion Luka
Doncic, who is signed through the 2028-29 season. The Slovenian
superstar has become passionate about Los Angeles and the Lakers
less than two years after his arrival.
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Crypto Arena is viewed before a Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball
game against the Memphis Grizzlies, Jan. 4, 2026, in Los Angeles.
(AP Photo/Ethan Swope, File)
“Being a Laker means everything to me, and I’m
excited to get back on the court and bring a championship to LA,”
Doncic wrote on social media after hearing of the sale. “I’ve gotten
used to big changes over these last few years, but I know that no
matter what, there is no limit to the potential of this iconic
franchise. I look forward to meeting Josh and Bob so we can get to
work building something special in LA together.”
The 41-year-old Kushner has been a minority owner of two NBA teams,
but he jumped into the international sports spotlight this summer
when his capital holding company, Thrive Eternal, was set to be the
“anchor investor” in FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell
stakes in future World Cup profits. Infantino abandoned the idea on
July 31.
Kushner’s older brother is Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S.
President Donald Trump.
Josh Kushner currently owns a minority stake in the Miami Heat, and
he previously owned a stake in the Memphis Grizzlies.
The 75-year-old Iger became one of Hollywood’s most well-known
executives while he ran Disney for two lengthy stints between 2005
and last March, when he stepped aside. Iger and his wife, former
sports journalist Willow Bay, became the controlling owners of NWSL
team Angel City FC in 2024 with a deal that valued the club at $250
million.
Walter’s purchase of the Lakers was approved by NBA owners last
October. He originally bought a 27% minority stake in the team in
2021 before purchasing control of the team last year.
The Lakers' 17 championships going back to the franchise’s origin in
Minneapolis are the second-most in NBA history behind Boston’s 18.
It is a global brand, always at or near the top of the league’s
merchandise-sales rankings.
This record sale price comes just weeks after LeBron James, the
league’s all-time leading scorer, left the Lakers after eight
seasons to become a free agent. James ultimately decided to sign
with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Walter and his team had already begun to make extensive changes to
the Lakers, who were often perceived as an antiquated franchise in
many aspects during their decades of Buss family ownership.
The Lakers had beefed up their basketball operations department with
new hires in the front office around longtime general manager Rob
Pelinka. They also boosted the business side with extensive searches
for new revenue, including sales of new jersey patches and
additional prominent sponsorship deals.
When Walter bought his controlling interest in the Lakers, the deal
specified that Jeanie Buss would stay on as the team’s governor.
With new ownership, it’s unclear whether Buss will have a continuing
role in the team she inherited along with her siblings from her
father, Jerry Buss, who died in 2013.
Along with the Dodgers, Walter and his various partners also have
ownership interests in the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, English
Premier League club Chelsea, the Professional Women’s Hockey League
and the new Cadillac Formula 1 racing team.
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this
report.
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