- Oct 16, 2026
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SportsMafia Wire graphic. Team logos and player headshots via ESPN.
Bob Iger has purchased the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5 billion, just months after Mark Walter bought the franchise from the Buss family for $10 billion.
The 72-hour transaction was finalized during secret negotiations between Iger, Josh Kushner and Walter coinciding with the solar eclipse. Iger was aboard his 213-foot superyacht in Italy on Aug. 12 as the deal came together. Walter had acquired the team from the Buss family after 46 years of family ownership.
Jeanie Buss negotiated the sale directly with Walter, while siblings Joey and Jesse Buss initially withheld their votes, preferring a lower valuation that included their involvement. Jeanie fired Janie, Joey and Jesse from Lakers positions within two months of that sale closing. Janie Buss said, "I don't think my dad would be happy with the way things just went down."
The Kushner-Iger group had previously pursued a Las Vegas NBA expansion franchise projected at $6-8 billion. Buss family members faced increased hospitality and ticket charges before playoffs as part of business restructuring.
Public disputes among the six Buss siblings have reignited following the latest sale. The new ownership is evaluating all operations while overhauling the roster around Luka Doncic.
Source: ESPN - Tue Oct 27, 6:50 AM ET
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).