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When the Buss family agreed to sell a majority stake in the franchise to Mark Walter on June 18, Doncic was given a heads-up and notably posted a congratulations on social media afterward. After the publication of this article, sources said James was notified of the sale, via his representation. But he did not post any public acknowledgement.
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 -…
Shaq: You know I'm a little upset, right? Co-Host: Well, what happened? Shaq: The Lakers got sold for $10 billion, and I ain't get no Douly. I ain't get no brand-new Escalade. I ain't get nothing, dog. Co-Host: No, man. You know they gave you a “Thank you for your service.” Shaq (mocking tone): "Thank you for your service"? It was Magic, me, and Kobe like—can I get something? I mean, can I get... I mean, can I get a check for, like, you know, $50 million... something? Something. Come on—$10 billion? Jeanie Buss... you probably won't never see her again. She probably gonna be on that spaceship with Elon Musk after that.
Rich Paul on LeBron James opting into contract with Lakers: LeBron wants to compete for a championship
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is exercising his $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul told ESPN on Sunday. James, the NBA's career leading scorer, wants to compete for a championship next season and potentially beyond and will be closely monitoring the Lakers' moves and whether the team is positioning itself this offseason to field a title-contending roster. "LeBron wants to compete for a championship," Paul told ESPN. "He knows the Lakers are building for the future. He understands that, but he values a realistic chance of winning it all. We are very appreciative of the partnership that we've had for eight years with Jeanie [Buss] and Rob [Pelinka] and consider the Lakers as a critical part of his career. "We understand the difficulty in winning now while preparing for the future. We do want to evaluate what's best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career. He wants to make every season he has left count, and the Lakers understand that, are supportive and want what's best for him."
Magic Johnson: “One thing that Jeanie [Buss] was going to do is put [the franchise] in the right hands. If she was going to sell, it had to be the right person, and Mark Walter is the right person to take over and lead us for the next 30, 40 years. So, this is the best news that could have happened for all Laker fans across the world. Mark has had his eye on the Lakers for a long time. That’s why he bought [Philip] Anschutz’s [minority ownership] piece first and then he was sitting there, and Jeanie knew this.
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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.”
“The Buss family is deeply honored to have looked after this incredible organization for almost half a century,” Buss said in the release, her first comments since the sale. “From the day our father purchased the Lakers, we have been determined to deliver what the City of Los Angeles deserves and demands: a team that is committed to winning – relentlessly – and to doing so with passion and with style. “I have gotten to know Mark very well over time and been delighted to learn how he shares those same values. For the last four years, Mark has been an excellent partner to us, and we are thrilled to keep working with him to continue the Lakers’ extraordinary legacy.”
The plan is for Buss to remain in the position for “years,” according to sources familiar with the agreement. The release also says the sale is expected to close in the third or fourth quarter of 2025 pending NBA approval.
Let’s get right into the question I’ve been asked most since Jeanie Buss shockingly agreed to sell the Lakers at a $10 billion evaluation to Walter and his partners. And to be clear, people are shocked, including sources inside the organization and inside the NBA, people who thought this day could eventually come but who didn’t think it would happen so quickly. The Buss family has had their hands in the Lakers’ biggest successes and wildest failures over the last four-plus decades, and with them taking on minority ownership, their influence will be absent in ways that haven’t been felt in generations. And that’s all over.
Byron Scott on Lakers sale: 'We topped the Celtics! We beat them by $3.9 billion!'
The Lakers' rivalry with the Celtics apparently extends way further than the hardwood -- as Byron Scott was all smiles on Thursday realizing the sale of L.A.'s NBA franchise this week topped Boston's by nearly $4 billion!!! The former Lakers player and head coach was thrilled to see Jeanie Buss get $10 billion for her beloved team on Wednesday ... happily gloating that it bested Boston's $6.1 billion sale in March. "That's all that matters," Scott said of the price difference with a big grin. "We topped them. We topped them! We beat them by $3.9 billion!"
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All jokes aside, Scott did say he was "extremely happy" for the Buss family, whom he's known for decades. He did admit, though, Jeanie's decision to sell did surprise him a little. "We all know at the end of the day it is a business," he said. "And business is always in business to try to make money. But I think the Buss family has done it right for so many years, led by Dr. Jerry Buss, who, in my mind, is still to this day the best owner I've ever seen in professional sports."
In 2005, The Times’ Hall of Fame basketball writer, Mark Heisler, wrote about Buss’ succession plan coming into focus. “Jerry Buss wanted a crowd-pleasing basketball team the movie stars could relate to but might have gone too far,” Heisler wrote. “He wound up with the greatest floating soap opera in sports, and basketball was almost beside the point.” Still, it was Buss’ legacy. “I just can’t visualize myself walking away, relinquishing control,” Buss said in a 2002 story in The Times. “My relationship with this team is a lifelong marriage.”
Luka Doncic: The Lakers are an amazing organization. I’m looking forward to meeting Mark and excited about the future. I am also grateful to Jeanie and the Buss family for welcoming me to LA, and I’m happy that Jeanie will continue to be involved. I look forward to working with both of them to win championships!
Pat McAfee: Shams: "It seems like both sides are on the same page.. At the end of the day when you're buying a team for ten billion dollars I don't know how long you're gonna wanna sit on the sidelines"
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