Originally published by LakersNation.com
One of the biggest surprises of the entire NBA offseason was the news that Mark Walter had agreed to sell the Los Angeles Lakers franchise to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger. The valuation it was sold at, $12.5 billion, was shocking enough as it was $2.5 billion more than what Walter had purchased the team for. But there was also the fact that the sale came only around a year after Walter had officially taken over the franchise.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was like everyone else in being surprised at news of the Lakers’ sale coming through. But in terms of what surprised him most initially, it wasn’t the price, but rather that the Lakers were being sold at all, via Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic:
What was Adam Silver’s reaction to the latest Lakers sale?
It wasn’t the $12.5 billion valuation, he said at Puck’s In The Arena conference today.
“My initial surprise went less to price and more that there was a reason to even sell the Lakers,” Silver said. “Obviously, I had a…
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) October 1, 2026
Obviously everyone at this point is aware of the legal issues surrounding Walter and the ongoing federal investigation and insurance fraud investigations. But no one, even Silver, had any idea that a sale of the Lakers was even a possibility with it being reported that the sale to Kushner and Iger really came together over a matter of days.
Silver understands that the Lakers are one of the premier franchises, not just in the NBA, but in all of professional sports. So someone moving on so quickly raises a ton of eyebrows and brings up a lot of questions about what is going on with Walter that would cause him to sell.
The commissioner has made it clear that the NBA found no red flags when initially vetting Walter prior to his purchase of the Lakers so there were no rumblings and it seemed as if things would run smoothly. But what is done is done and the Lakers will move forward with Iger and Kushner at the helm looking to take this franchise back to the top of the league.
Josh Kushner expected to be Lakers’ controlling shareholder, Bob Iger to be minority owner
The sale of the Lakers to Kushner and Iger has yet to be made official by the NBA, but once it goes through it will reportedly be Kushner who acts as the team’s lone controlling shareholder, while Iger will be the minority owner and handle day-to-day duties.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
One of the biggest surprises of the entire NBA offseason was the news that Mark Walter had agreed to sell the Los Angeles Lakers franchise to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger. The valuation it was sold at, $12.5 billion, was shocking enough as it was $2.5 billion more than what Walter had purchased the team for. But there was also the fact that the sale came only around a year after Walter had officially taken over the franchise.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver was like everyone else in being surprised at news of the Lakers’ sale coming through. But in terms of what surprised him most initially, it wasn’t the price, but rather that the Lakers were being sold at all, via Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic:
What was Adam Silver’s reaction to the latest Lakers sale?
It wasn’t the $12.5 billion valuation, he said at Puck’s In The Arena conference today.
“My initial surprise went less to price and more that there was a reason to even sell the Lakers,” Silver said. “Obviously, I had a…
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) October 1, 2026
Obviously everyone at this point is aware of the legal issues surrounding Walter and the ongoing federal investigation and insurance fraud investigations. But no one, even Silver, had any idea that a sale of the Lakers was even a possibility with it being reported that the sale to Kushner and Iger really came together over a matter of days.
Silver understands that the Lakers are one of the premier franchises, not just in the NBA, but in all of professional sports. So someone moving on so quickly raises a ton of eyebrows and brings up a lot of questions about what is going on with Walter that would cause him to sell.
The commissioner has made it clear that the NBA found no red flags when initially vetting Walter prior to his purchase of the Lakers so there were no rumblings and it seemed as if things would run smoothly. But what is done is done and the Lakers will move forward with Iger and Kushner at the helm looking to take this franchise back to the top of the league.
Josh Kushner expected to be Lakers’ controlling shareholder, Bob Iger to be minority owner
The sale of the Lakers to Kushner and Iger has yet to be made official by the NBA, but once it goes through it will reportedly be Kushner who acts as the team’s lone controlling shareholder, while Iger will be the minority owner and handle day-to-day duties.
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
