Why the $10B Lakers Sale is Actually Genius
Lakers fans are melting down over the $10B sale, but they're about to find out what actual winning looks like"
Look, I know Lakers fans are probably freaking out right now. "The Buss family sold out!" "Corporate ownership ruined everything!"
Wrong.
This is the best thing that could have happened to the Lakers. Here's why.
The Numbers Don't Lie
Mark Walter just dropped $10 billion on the Lakers. That's not "f*** you" money - that's "f*** the entire league" money.
To put this in perspective: the previous record was the Celtics at $6.1 billion. Walter said "hold my beer" and added $4 billion to that. This isn't some PE firm looking to flip assets. This is a guy who clearly wants to own the crown jewel of basketball.
The Dodgers Blueprint Works
Here's what everyone's missing: Walter already figured out how to win in LA.
Since buying the Dodgers in 2012:
2 World Series championships
11 division titles
Signed Shohei Ohtani for $700 million (yes, $700 million)
The man doesn't mess around. He spends what it takes to win, and he wins consistently.
Meanwhile, the Lakers haven't won a championship since 2020. They've been operating with what the document calls "the smallest scouting department in the NBA."
Think about that. The Lakers - arguably the most valuable basketball franchise on the planet - were cheap on scouting. That's like Apple skimping on R&D.
Resource Constraints Are Over
The Buss family, God bless them, gave us Magic, Kareem, Kobe, and Shaq. Respect. But let's be honest - they were operating like a family business in a private equity world.
Walter just raised $15 billion in April 2025, with $10 billion coming from Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund. This isn't some leveraged buyout where they're going to cut costs. This is a guy with essentially unlimited capital who's proven he'll deploy it.
The Luka Factor
The Lakers just traded for Luka Dončić. They have a 26-year-old generational talent entering his prime, paired with LeBron (however much he has left).
But here's the thing - you need an owner willing to build around that. Walter spent $700 million on one baseball player. You think he's going to hesitate spending whatever it takes to build a championship roster around Luka?
The Business Case
The NBA just signed a $77 billion media deal. That's going to triple the league's annual TV revenue. The Lakers operate in the second-largest media market in the US and have the most valuable brand in basketball.
Walter isn't just buying a basketball team. He's buying a content engine that's about to get massively more valuable with streaming wars heating up.
What This Really Means
Sports ownership is becoming institutionalized. The Cowboys are worth $9 billion. The Knicks are worth $7 billion. These aren't toys for rich guys anymore - they're strategic assets for billionaires and sovereign wealth funds.
The Lakers were the last family-owned elite franchise holding out. Now they have an owner with:
Proven track record of championships
Unlimited financial resources
Deep understanding of the LA market
Portfolio approach to sports investments
The Bottom Line
Jeanie Buss stays as governor. The operations stay the same. But now there's a checkbook that doesn't have limits.
The Lakers went from a family business to a championship machine. If you're a Lakers fan, you should be celebrating.
The rest of the league? They should be worried.