Former Disney Boss Bob Iger and Venture Capitalist Josh Kushner Agree to Buy LA Lakers in Record Deal
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger and venture capitalist Josh Kushner have agreed to purchase the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5 billion, setting a new record for U.S. sports team valuations.
Former Disney Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger and venture capitalist Josh Kushner have reportedly agreed to buy the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal valuing the NBA franchise at over $12 billion, according to a report by ESPN originally covered by GameRant. The agreement marks a major new chapter for Iger, who stepped down from his second stint as Disney CEO earlier this year. According to sources familiar with the plan, Iger and Kushner are acquiring the franchise from current owner Mark Walter at a staggering $12.
5 billion valuation, which would set a new record for the most valuable sale of a professional sports team in United States history. Mark Walter originally acquired the team for $10 billion just last year, meaning he stands to make a massive profit in a remarkably short timeframe. The historic transaction still requires formal approval from the NBA Board of Governors before it can cross the finish line.
Interestingly, this acquisition is not where the sports and entertainment crossovers end for the investment group. Josh Kushner's brother Jared founded Affinity Partners, a firm that recently joined a consortium to complete a massive $55 billion buyout of Electronic Arts, taking the publishing giant private. While the sports and gaming mega-deals are technically separate, they place the Kushner family at the absolute center of the biggest high-profile entertainment acquisitions of 2026.
For modern players who watch sports leagues and gaming economies overlap more than ever, traditional entertainment figures moving deeper into competitive sports and interactive media continues to blur the lines between how we consume our favorite digital and physical pastimes.
Tags: Industry News, Esports, Gaming Business, EA
Original article: Game Rant