Buss Family to See Astonishing Profit After Record-Setting Sale of Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers set yet another record on Wednesday, June 18, in what's become a lengthy line of making a variety of notable sports history, with the Buss family somewhat stunningly selling the storied franchise that the late Dr. Jerry Buss originally purchased for $67.5 million in 1979.
Now, 46 years later after what proved to be a franchise-altering moment that saw the Lakers go on numerous NBA Championship runs, hoisting the Larry O'Brien trophy a whopping 11 times under Buss ownership, the legendary family is about to see a patently ridiculous profit after selling the team to Mark Walter, the current owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
With ESPN's Shams Charania dropping the news bomb late Wednesday afternoon, the Buss family sold its 66 percent majority stake in the Lakers for "a valuation of approximately $10 billion,"
Mark Walter is entering agreement to purchase majority ownership of the Lakers from the Buss family for a valuation of approximately $10 billion, the largest sale of a professional sports franchise in the world, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 18, 2025
$10 billion. https://t.co/mgZkxcdXnp
Just as Charania did in his followup post on X, it certainly feels like a number worth repeating:
Ten. Billion.
And as Sportsnaut quite specifically noted, this record-setting Lakers sale "represents a staggering return on investment for the [Buss] family at 14,714.81%."
Considering the Buss family will also maintain a minority share of the team at "just over 15% for a period of time," in addition to Jeanie Buss reportedly staying on as Lakers' governor—a role she's held since ownership was kept in the family following Jerry's passing in 2013—that is one hell of a win and a payday all while the 63-year-old will still hold a significant influence on the direction of the franchise.
If that $10 billion valuation number hasn't resonated just yet, keep in mind that the Boston Celtics, an equally iconic and deeply treasured NBA franchise, sold earlier this year for "only" $6.1 billion.
It's also worth noting that Walter, the new majority owner of the Lakers, had already purchased a 26 percent stake of the team back in 2021 and held first right of refusal if the Buss family were to ever sell its majority stake in the franchise.
On Wednesday afternoon, the man who's proven to be a fearless owner when it comes to spending and securing top MLB free-agents ever since taking a majority stake in the Dodgers in 2012, finished off the deal with the Lakers that began four years ago.
It would be sincerely shocking if Walter and his ownership group didn't set out to do with the Lakers exactly what they've aggressively done with the Dodgers, which should serve as exceptionally great news for fans of the purple and gold.
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