The Lakers’ record $12.5-billion sale was an NBA earthquake. Did Iger and Kushner get a good deal?

Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger, successful businessmen by any measure, paid $12.5 billion for the Lakers, easily the highest price ever for a sports franchise.

It was a rare chance to acquire an iconic sports brand, and by all accounts, timing was everything.

Advertisement

The enormous sale price has implications for the rest of the NBA and raises a basic question: Did Kushner and Iger get a great deal or did they overpay?

Business titan Mark Walter owned the NBA franchise for only a year. Federal regulators are investigating Walter’s financial empire, and he reportedly felt compelled to sell as he moves billions to help unravel undisclosed related-party loans from two of his insurance companies to multinational holding company TWG Global — an abbreviation for The Walter Group, where he serves as chief executive.

Before many learned Walter might be interested in selling the team quickly, Kushner and Iger, already pining for an NBA franchise, jumped at the opportunity.

The haste of the transaction would seem to have given the buyers superior leverage, yet Walter negotiated a 25% increase on the $10 billion he spent on the team last October.

Advertisement

Some experts argue the Lakers are worth every penny. A deep dive into the market for legacy sports franchises indicates to Sports Value Consulting co-founder and chief executive Michael Rapkoch that the investment is sound.

“How often do the Lakers come up for sale? Why wouldn’t someone pay that amount if they were able?” Rapkoch said. “Are you going to be the person who says at a cocktail party that you could have bought the team but turned it down because you wouldn’t pay more than $11 billion? This is likely your one and only chance. It’s do it or lose it.”

Read more: The Dodgers are Mark Walter’s crown jewel. Can he hold on to it amid federal probe?

Twelve years ago, Steve Ballmer bought the Clippers for $2 billion and admitted he willingly overpaid. In 2025, the Boston Celtics — like the Lakers, an illustrious legacy franchise — were sold for $6.1 billion, which closely matched Forbes market estimates.

Advertisement

Less than a year later, the Lakers sold for more…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/lakers-record-12-5-billion-100000394.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-08-25 10:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.