After 46 years of Buss family ownership, the Los Angeles Lakers have been sold to another prominent American sports team owner.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Buss family has reached a deal to sell majority ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers to billionaire and Los Angeles Dodgers chairman Mark Walter. Charania added that Jeanie Buss will maintain her role as governor of the Lakers.
Walter is the chief executive officer of Guggenheim Partners, which owns the Guggenheim Baseball Management, the official ownership group of the Dodgers. The group bought the Dodgers from Frank McCourt in 2012 for $2.15 billion.
Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the Los Angeles Lakers from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979, the same year the team drafted Magic Johnson with the No. 1 pick. The Lakers emerged as the NBA’s golden franchise under Dr. Buss, winning 10 championships during his 34 years in charge.
After Dr. Buss died in 2013, Jeanie took over as the governor and controlling owner of the franchise. The Lakers won their first championship under Jeanie Buss in 2020, defeating the Miami Heat in the Orlando Bubble.
Los Angeles Lakers Are Still In Good Hands With New Owners
The end of the Buss ownership era may be tough for Lakers fans sentimentally, but this shouldn’t have an impact on the direction of the franchise whatsoever. The Dodgers have spent billions of dollars to build a World Series championship team, so Walton shouldn’t be shy to open up his wallet to continue building a contender around LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
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