Rumors

What is the main change you believe the new majority owner of the Lakers will bring compared to the previous owner? —@afamosajems Dan Woike: A few of you asked questions about something that feels like way too much of an afterthought considering the impact it could eventually have on the organization. A few things first. The general sense I’ve gotten from talking to my sources within the organization is that things are basically “business as usual” currently. But no one who has paid any attention to the behemoth the Los Angeles Dodgers have become can realistically think that Mark Walter is going to just let the Lakers move forward powered solely by inertia.

New York Times

The Los Angeles Lakers were celebrated at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night with new additions Deandre Ayton, Jake LaRavia and Adou Thiero on hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. This came just 24 hours after the legendary Kobe Bryant was also celebrated at the L.A. Dodgers game with a bobblehead. His family was in attendance with his daughter Bianka throwing out the first pitch to kick off those festivities. Ayton, LaRavia and Thiero are new to Los Angeles so are still getting familiar with how intertwined the Lakers and Dodgers organizations are in the city.

Lakers Nation

The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated the legacy of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on Friday night with a bobblehead night ahead of their matchup with the Toronto Blue Jays. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who took over in 2016 during Bryant’s final year in the NBA, has seen up close exactly what Kobe means to the city of L.A. He was there when Bryant had a 60-point game to end his career, for countless appearances at Dodger Stadium in the years after his retirement as well as when the legend tragically passed away in Jan. 2020. It’s almost inarguable that Kobe’s impact on the city of L.A. is greater than any other athlete to don the city’s name on their uniform. With Friday night being Kobe Bryant Bobblehead Night in Los Angeles, Roberts spoke about the legend’s impact on the city, the sports world and recalls his visits to Dodger Stadium.

Lakers Nation

“His legacy is alive and well,” Roberts said. “It’s just great for the girls and Vanessa to still be a part of this. What Kobe did for the city of Los Angeles has obviously impacted a lot of us, myself. When he came here, he was a fan. I think he liked to watch the best players. He was a baseball fan, kind of seated in the dugout seats, locked in on pitches and things like that. “I’m just grateful he took the time to come here, because with his celebrity, schedule, he didn’t need to come here. But he wanted to support another Los Angeles ballclub. He was L.A. all day. This is very anticipated, and again, I give Vanessa and her family a lot of credit for continuing to work with us and partner with the Dodgers. It’s tough, it’s emotional.”

Lakers Nation

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced that Los Angeles Lakers center Deandre Ayton will throw out the first pitch on Aug. 9 when they host the Toronto Blue Jays. That is part of Lakers Night at Dodger Stadium and other members of the purple and gold are also expected to be in attendance to say the famous “It’s Time for Dodger Baseball” phrase before the game. Ayton recently joined L.A. after securing a buyout with the Portland Trail Blazers, allowing him to pick his new home. The former No. 1 overall pick is looking to rehab his value and it does not get better than playing alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James on the Lakers.

Lakers Nation

The league collection includes NBA and MLB sports teams from L.A. (Dodgers and Lakers), Chicago (Bulls, Cubs and White Sox) and New York (Mets and Knicks), offering Mitchell & Ness Jerseys, hoodies, t-shires and hats repping the teams and Blackpink.

complex.com

The long-awaited design for the Los Angeles Dodgers' Kobe Bryant bobblehead night was unveiled Thursday. The Los Angeles Lakers legend's figurine is in a batting stance and sporting a gold No. 24 Lakers jersey. The bobblehead appears to have been inspired by a photo of the five-time NBA champion during Lakers media day in 2009. Bryant is also wearing the Zoom Kobe 6 Protro "Dodgers" sneaker, which was officially released in May.

ESPN

Bryant's bobblehead will be given away to the first 40,000 ticketed fans of the Dodgers' home matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 8 -- aka 8/8, doubling down on the number Bryant wore during the first half of his 20-year NBA career.

ESPN

Let’s start with the Lakers, who were sold for a whopping $10 billion valuation to Dodgers owner/Lakers minority owner Mark Walterers recently but will still be run by longtime owner Jeanie Buss for quite some time to come. Per a team source, Buss’ agreement with Walter and the NBA stipulates that she’ll remain the team’s governor for at least the next five seasons. Laker fans should be estatic. A few things I can tell you about Mark – he is driven by winning, excellence, and doing everything the right way. AND he will put in the resources needed to win! I can understand why Jeanie sold the team to Mark Walter because they are just alike -…

New York Times

Magic Johnson: “You saw Mark let Jeanie stay on the Board of Governors. That was smart. One thing that is smart about Jeanie is she was never going to say, ‘Oh, the Lakers are up for sale! Anybody can own them.’ That’s not who she is. She wasn’t going to put it in anybody’s hands. “And I think because of the success of the Dodgers and how he has run the organization, now it’s easy for the fans. We already know him. We’ve seen his work already. We’ve seen what he’s been able to do, led us to a couple of World Series [wins] and going to the World Series four times. That’s success right there. That’s what Laker fans are looking for. “He’s got a track record. This is what Laker fans would want, somebody that they can trust, just like they trusted Dr. Buss. They trusted Jeanie because of her father saying, ‘This is who I want in charge.’ So, this is beautiful for all Laker fans.”

Los Angeles Times

Could that future — one broadcast channel and one streaming app for the Dodgers and Lakers — become reality now that Mark Walter, the controlling owner of the Dodgers, is the new controlling owner of the Lakers? Walter hasn’t yet talked publicly about the Lakers deal, so we floated the idea by sports business insiders. The Lakers are on Spectrum SportsNet. The Dodgers are on SportsNet LA. Who owns those channels? Charter Communications, the parent company of Spectrum, owns SportsNet. The Dodgers, through an affiliated company, own SportsNet LA, although Charter operates it and pays the team a rights fee every year, just as it does with the Lakers.

Los Angeles Times

Could Walter buy out Charter and put the Dodgers and Lakers on the same channel? In theory, yes. Charter probably would give him the Lakers’ channel for free. In reality? That appears unlikely any time soon. Walter didn’t get to be a billionaire by turning down half a billion dollars every year.

Los Angeles Times

A source close to Luka Doncic said that Walter's deep pockets, combined with his results with the Dodgers, makes L.A. that much more appealing for the 26-year-old superstar. .... While LeBron James' decision is still pending, a source close to James suggested that Walter could be a valuable resource for James as he pursues his post-playing career goal of one day owning an NBA franchise, too.

ESPN

Walter, if his time running the Los Angeles Dodgers is any indication, may be the apotheosis of this model, even if it will have to wait. He will not take over immediately after the sale is final. The Buss family trust, which currently owns a little more than 60 percent of the franchise, will still own 18 percent when the deal goes through, according to a source briefed on the sale, and Jeanie Buss will continue to serve as the team’s governor. That matter has been written into the agreement, the source said.

New York Times