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# Josh Kushner & Bob Iger Buy Los Angeles Lakers For Record $12 Billion
- URL: https://www.theinvestorsociety.com/josh-kushner-bob-iger-buy-los-angeles-lakers-for-record-12-billion/
- Published: 2026-08-12T23:45:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-12T23:45:22.000Z
- Author: The Editor
- Tags: Western Hemisphere

Billionaire investor Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger have agreed to buy the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5B, a record price for a U.S. professional sports franchise, ESPN reported Wednesday, citing multiple sources. The deal comes barely a year after Mark Walter, CEO of holding company TWG Global and controlling owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, purchased a majority stake in the Lakers from the Buss family at a then-record $10B valuation — a transaction NBA owners approved last October. Kushner, 41, founded and runs venture capital firm Thrive Capital and is co-founder and vice chairman of Oscar Health. Iger, 75, stepped down as Disney's CEO earlier this year and was succeeded by Josh D'Amaro.

Kushner and Iger had been pursuing an NBA expansion franchise in Las Vegas before pivoting to make an aggressive offer for the Lakers, approaching Walter with the proposal on Sunday, according to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. Walter is retaining ownership of the Dodgers and will not be part of the new Lakers ownership group. To clear the way for the purchase, Kushner — who holds a minority stake in the Miami Heat and previously owned a piece of the Memphis Grizzlies — will need to divest his Heat stake. The Buss family, which sold majority control last year, is expected to retain its existing minority interest.

> Josh Kushner and Bob Iger are buying the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team for a record-breaking price of more than $12 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. [https://t.co/z28F9AyjhR](https://t.co/z28F9AyjhR?ref=theinvestorsociety.com)
> 
> — Bloomberg (@business) [August 12, 2026](https://x.com/business/status/2087553481691308079?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=theinvestorsociety.com)

## Market Context

The sale extends a run-up in North American sports franchise values that has broken records repeatedly over the past three years. Michael Jordan sold his majority stake in the Charlotte Hornets at a $3B valuation in 2023; the Boston Celtics changed hands in 2025 at $6.1B; and the NFL's Seattle Seahawks set a league record earlier this year at $9.612B. The Lakers deal follows the Celtics' sale at $6.1B and comes as scarcity of available franchises, secure media-rights revenue, and a deeper pool of wealthy investors continue pushing valuations higher. CNBC's 2026 franchise valuations put the average NBA team at $5.52B, with the Lakers now the only U.S. team ever to sell above $10 billion — twice. 

For Walter, the transaction represents roughly a $2.5B profit in just over a year, an unusually fast turnaround even by the standards of a market where minority stakes are increasingly traded as liquid financial assets.

## Signal

> ***"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."***  
> — Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, in a joint statement [ESPN](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/%5F/id/49590362/josh-kushner-bob-iger-buy-lakers-12b?ref=theinvestorsociety.com).

## Regional Relevance

**United States:** The deal underscores how consolidated wealth — from tech and finance (Kushner) to media (Iger) — is increasingly required to control marquee U.S. sports assets, pricing out all but a small circle of billionaires and institutional investors. It also signals continued investor confidence in live sports as a hedge against streaming disruption, given secure media-rights revenue streams. Kushner's involvement adds a venture-capital dimension to major-league ownership, while Iger's return to a marquee brand — after leading Disney twice — reinforces the crossover between entertainment executives and sports team control.

## The Other Side

**Does the record price reflect sustainable economics or a bubble in sports-asset valuations?** Skeptics note that team revenues, even with strong media deals, don't scale at the same pace as sale prices — raising questions about whether buyers are pricing in speculative future upside (real estate development, streaming rights, global expansion) that may not materialize.

**Should Mark Walter's ongoing federal scrutiny factor into how this deal is read?** Walter is reportedly under investigation over whether insurers he controls, including Delaware Life Insurance and Clear Spring Life and Annuity, properly disclosed private credit holdings tied to other Walter-controlled ventures, with the SEC running a parallel inquiry. The Lakers sale itself isn't reported as connected to that probe, but the timing invites scrutiny of Walter's broader financial empire. 

**Will NBA ownership approval go smoothly, and what happens to Kushner's Heat stake?** As a developing story, the transaction still requires Board of Governors sign-off, and Kushner's required divestment from the Miami Heat introduces a secondary transaction that could complicate or delay closing.

## Sources & Transparency

- [Forbes — Billionaire Josh Kushner, Former Disney CEO Bob Iger Buy Los Angeles Lakers For Record $12 Billion, Report Says](https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2026/08/12/billionaire-josh-kushner-former-disney-ceo-bob-iger-buy-los-angeles-lakers-for-record-12-billion-report-says/?ref=theinvestorsociety.com)
- [ESPN — Sources: Josh Kushner, Bob Iger to buy Lakers for $12.5B](https://www.espn.com/nba/story/%5F/id/49590362/josh-kushner-bob-iger-buy-lakers-12b?ref=theinvestorsociety.com)
- [Yahoo Sports — Lakers sold to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for record-breaking $12.5 billion](https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/breaking-news/article/lakers-sold-to-josh-kushner-and-bob-iger-for-record-breaking-125-billion-141110560.html?ref=theinvestorsociety.com)
- [Fox Business — Lakers sell to Joshua Kushner, Bob Iger for $12.5 billion](https://www.foxbusiness.com/sports/bob-iger-joshua-kushner-shockingly-purchase-lakers-months-after-mark-walter-became-majority-owner-report?ref=theinvestorsociety.com)
- [Front Office Sports — Why Pro Sports Team Valuations Will Keep Climbing in 2026](https://frontofficesports.com/pro-sports-team-valuations-rise-2026/?ref=theinvestorsociety.com)
- [MyNorthwest (AP) — NBA's Lakers to be sold for record-breaking $12.5 billion](https://sports.mynorthwest.com/seattle-sports-pit/nba-lakers-sold-record-breaking-12-5-billion?ref=theinvestorsociety.com)