An investor group led by Bob Iger, former Disney CEO, and Joshua Kushner, brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of President Donald Trump, has reached an agreement to buy the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5 billion. If approved by the NBA, it would be the highest-value professional sports team sale in world history. The deal would break the previous record set by Mark Walter, owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, who bought the Lakers from the Buss family in 2025 at a valuation of about $10 billion. Walter will sell only his stake in the Lakers, not the Dodgers or the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA. Walter is currently under investigation by federal prosecutors and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over suspected financial fraud in his insurance business and affiliated companies. Kushner, 41, is the founder of venture capital firm Thrive Capital and currently holds a minority stake in the Miami Heat, which he must sell to close this deal. Iger, 75, stepped down as Disney CEO in March and previously bought a majority stake in women's soccer club Angel City FC in 2024 for $250 million.
