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Lakers to be sold in record $12.5bn deal, reportedly to Kushner and Iger
The Los Angeles Lakers are to be sold for a reported record $12.5bn, with Josh Kushner and Bob Iger buying the controlling interest. The deal, which comes less than a year after Mark Walter's majority stake, raises questions about sports media valuations.
The Los Angeles Lakers are to be sold for a reported record-breaking $12.5bn (£9.3bn), according to the BBC, less than a year after Mark Walter took a majority stake in the NBA franchise.
Josh Kushner, the brother of President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared, and former Disney chief executive Bob Iger are buying the controlling interest in one of the world's most iconic sports teams, the BBC reported. Walter bought his share, reportedly worth an estimated $10bn (£7.45bn), from the Buss family in a deal unanimously approved by the NBA Board of Governors in October 2025.
Kushner and Iger said in a statement: "As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honoured for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world." They expressed "immense respect for the leadership and vision of Jerry and Jeanie Buss." The statement added: "Our long-term commitment is to build on that foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles."
A bet on sports media's continued growth
The $12.5bn price tag is seen as a bet that the value of sports television rights will keep climbing, even as the rest of the TV market contracts. Business Insider reported that Bob Iger and Josh Kushner plan to buy the Lakers at a record-setting price, and noted that the Lakers currently earn $200 million a year from local rights, while the NBA recently secured a new national rights deal worth $7.6 billion annually.
However, some media executives are skeptical, according to a conversation reported by Business Insider's Peter Kafka with John Ourand of Puck. Ourand said that in the past, sports team valuations were heavily weighted by media rights deals that kept rising by 10% to 20% per year. But, he added, "media executives I talk to say, 'If they're basing the Lakers valuation on future media rights deals, that's a mistake.'"
The conversation also touched on the NFL, which remains the most powerful force in media. The NFL did $110 billion in TV deals in 2021, and the networks paid the NBA $76 billion. Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch recently said he is not currently negotiating a new deal with the NFL, and the league is in talks with Paramount/CBS about their existing agreement because of a change of control. John Ourand made the case that the NFL's power could at least be checked in the coming years, even though it remains No. 1 and no network wants to live without it. Business Insider also noted Fox's purchase of Roku, though the relevance to the Lakers deal was not elaborated.
Perspectives
Buyers (Josh Kushner and Bob Iger): The new controlling owners expressed deep honour and a long-term commitment to build on the franchise's foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve the team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles.
Media analysts (including John Ourand of Puck): Some media executives question whether the Lakers' valuation is justified if it relies on future media rights growth, which may not continue at historic rates. They note the NFL's continued dominance but also see potential challenges ahead.
How each outlet told it
BBC — World
Framing: The headline announces the sale as a record-breaking deal, focusing on the transaction itself. — Neutral and straightforward, with a positive quote from the buyers.
Facts Included:
The Los Angeles Lakers are to be sold for a reported record-breaking $12.5bn (£9.3bn).
Mark Walter took a majority stake in the NBA franchise less than a year ago.
Josh Kushner, brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared, and former Disney chief Bob Iger are buying the controlling interest.
Walter bought his share, reportedly worth an estimated $10bn (£7.45bn), from the Buss family.
The October 2025 deal was unanimously approved by the NBA Board of Governors.
Kushner and Iger released a statement about becoming stewards of the Lakers.
Framing: The headline uses a warning tone ('You better hurry') and emphasizes the need for cash, framing it as a competitive market. — Informative with a slight urgency, using quotes to emphasize the investment appeal.
Facts Included:
The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold for a record $12.5 billion.
The Seattle Seahawks are in a record $9.6 billion sale.
A chunk of the New York Yankees is being sold to Apollo Global Management for $2.6 billion.
The San Diego Padres were sold for $3.9 billion, approved by MLB.
The Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA Lynx were sold for $4.5 billion.
Artificial intelligence is considered a reason for sports team investment.
Sal Galatioto, investment banker, commented on the trend.
Victor Matheson, economics professor, commented on AI-proof investments.
Fenway Sports Group sold 40% of Liverpool to a consortium including Jeff Bezos.
The Yankees are the most valuable baseball team.
Sports betting legalized in 2018 Supreme Court decision.
Private equity's growing interest in sports teams.
The New York Giants have been under the Mara family for over a century.
Framing: The headline emphasizes the Lakers' $12.5 billion price and the potential challenges for NFL TV deals, framing the story as a market analysis. — Analytical and questioning, with a skeptical tone toward the sustainability of sports rights growth.
Facts Included:
Bob Iger and Josh Kushner plan to buy the Los Angeles Lakers at a record-setting $12.5 billion.
The Lakers make $200 million a year from local rights.
The NBA got a new national rights deal paying $7.6 billion a year.
Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said he is not currently negotiating a new deal with the NFL.
The NFL did $110 billion in TV deals in 2021.
Networks paid the NBA $76 billion.
Fox bought Roku.
John Ourand covers sports media for Puck.
The NFL is talking to Paramount/CBS about their deal because of change of control.
The NFL package includes Sunday afternoon games with up to six games each afternoon.
Framing: The headline emphasizes the rush to buy sports teams and the high prices, suggesting urgency. — Informative with a speculative tone, using quotes to illustrate the investment rationale.
Facts Included:
The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold for a record US$12.5 billion.
The Seattle Seahawks are in a record $9.6 billion sale.
A chunk of the New York Yankees is being sold to Apollo Global Management for $2.6 billion.
The San Diego Padres were sold for $3.9 billion, approved by MLB.
The Minnesota Timberwolves and WNBA Lynx were sold for $4.5 billion.
Artificial intelligence is considered a reason for sports team investment.
Sal Galatioto, investment banker, commented on the trend.
Victor Matheson, economics professor, commented on AI-proof investments.
Fenway Sports Group sold 40% of Liverpool to a consortium including Jeff Bezos.
The Yankees are the most valuable baseball team.
Sports betting legalized in 2018 Supreme Court decision.
Private equity's growing interest in sports teams.
The New York Giants have been under the Mara family for over a century.
AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.
Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimBob Iger and Josh Kushner plan to buy the Los Angeles Lakers at a record-setting price of $12.5 billion.
ClaimKushner and Iger said in a statement: "As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honoured for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world."