The Lakers change ownership and break their own record as the most expensive sale of a team in the history of world sports.

The Los Angeles Lakers have once again rewritten history, this time by surpassing their own record for the most expensive sale of a sports team in global sports history. The iconic franchise, one of the most storied in the world of basketball, has undergone a dramatic shift in ownership following a high-stakes transaction that has stunned the sporting world. In June of last year, the Buss family, who had controlled the Lakers since the 1970s, sold a 66 percent stake in the team to Mark Walter, the executive chairman of TWG Global and owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team. The deal was valued at approximately $10 billion and included assets such as the Los Angeles Kings ice hockey team of the NHL, the historic Forum arena in Inglewood, and other properties tied to the Lakers' legacy. This marked a landmark moment in sports business, setting a new benchmark for value in the industry. However, the Lakers have now surpassed this figure. According to reports from ESPN, Mark Walter subsequently sold his stake to a group led by American businessmen Bog Iger, former CEO of Disney, and Joshua Kushner, who holds minority stakes in the Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies. The final price tag for this second transaction reached around $12.5 billion, representing a profit of roughly $2.5 billion for Walter within a year of acquiring the team. The deal moved swiftly, with the purchase being finalized just days after Iger and Kushner were considered potential buyers for a new franchise in Las Vegas, part of the NBA's expansion plans. Despite their initial focus on Las Vegas, both billionaires turned their attention back to the Lakers, proposing a purchase that was accepted almost immediately. However, the transaction still awaits approval from the NBA’s board of governors. The financial magnitude of this deal underscores the growing valuation of professional sports franchises in the United States. The Lakers’ price eclipses all previous records, even surpassing the recent sale of the Seattle Seahawks, the current NFL champions, which was completed for $9.612 billion to a group led by the Khosla family. That deal followed the passing of the late Paul Allen and was the third-largest in the league. Other notable transactions include the sale of the Boston Celtics for $6.1 billion in March of this year, and the transfer of the Washington Commanders, formerly known as the Redskins, for $6.05 billion, which saw Chilean player Sammis Reyes move with the team. These figures suggest a trend of increasing valuations in the sports industry, with experts predicting that the next major football franchise could fetch over $15 billion. As the sports market continues to evolve, these transactions reflect the immense economic power behind professional teams and the growing interest in investing in sports assets. With more deals likely to follow, the landscape of sports ownership is poised for further transformation.