Mark Walter to Bring $10 Billion Lakers Offer Before NBA Finance Panel
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Los Angeles Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter is slated to outline a $10 billion proposal to buy a controlling stake in the Los Angeles Lakers when he meets with the NBA’s Advisory Finance Committee on Friday, according to sources familiar with the process.
The committee will examine the bid—which involves purchasing the Buss family’s majority interest—before issuing a recommendation to the league’s Board of Governors. A vote on Walter’s candidacy as majority owner could come as early as next week, the sources said, potentially clearing the way for final approval by month’s end.
If endorsed, the deal would establish a new benchmark for North American sports franchise valuations, eclipsing Josh Harris’s $6.05 billion acquisition of the Washington Commanders in 2023 and Bill Chisholm’s $6.1 billion purchase of the Boston Celtics in July.
Walter, 65, is no stranger to headline-making transactions. His consortium’s $2.15 billion buyout of the Dodgers in 2012 has ballooned in value; the baseball club is now estimated between $6.8 billion (Forbes) and $7.73 billion (Sportico). Walter’s sports portfolio also includes the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, the Billie Jean King Cup, the Cadillac Formula 1 team, the Professional Women’s Hockey League, and a minority stake in English Premier League side Chelsea FC.
Under the proposed arrangement, the Buss family would keep more than 15 percent of the Lakers, allowing governor Jeanie Buss to maintain her position with the club.
Source: ESPN
