10 billion! The Lakers sell their team! Walter replaces Bass as the new boss of the Lakers

Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Li Hui

On June 19, according to the famous reporter Shams Charanie, the Bass family has reached an agreement with Mark Walter, CEO and chairman of diversified holding company TWGGlobal, to sell most of the equity of the Los Angeles Lakers at a valuation of about $10 billion.

10 billion US dollars will break the record for the highest transaction price of professional sports teams in the world. Current team manager Jenny Buss will continue to serve as honorary chairman of the Lakers after the transaction is completed. And after the transaction, the Bass family still retained more than 15% of the shares. In the impression of most fans, the Lakers are equivalent to the Bass family. In 1979, Jenny Buss' father Jerry Buss bought the Lakers from Jack Kent Cook for $67.5 million, and after Bass died in 2013, the team passed it to his children.

As one of the most successful teams in NBA history, the Lakers have won the championship 17 times. Their last win occurred in 2020. Now this team has superstars like James and Doncic, and they are undoubtedly one of the most popular teams in the entire sports world. At this year's trading deadline, the Lakers used chips such as Anthony Davis to get Doncic. The arrival of the talented Slovenian star undoubtedly gave the Lakers more attention in the future.

Walter has interests in multiple professional sports organizations, including Chelsea in the Premier League, Strasbourg in Ligue 1, Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Sparks, Billy Jane Cup, Cadillac Formula 1 and the Professional Women's Hockey League. In 2021, Walter became the Lakers' small boss with a 26% stake, and now he has become the largest shareholder of the giant club.

It is worth mentioning that the Lakers are already the third NBA team to change hands in recent years. Previously, both the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics completed equity conversions, among which the Celtics were sold at a valuation of $6.1 billion, setting a record for one time. Now this record has been broken by the Lakers.