The Los Angeles Lakers have been sold for $12 billion, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. Josh Kushner and Bob Iger agreed to purchase majority ownership from Mark Walter, a deal ESPN reports as the largest sale of a professional sports franchise in the world.
The transaction marks a second record sale for the Lakers in a short span. Walter paid $10 billion for the team in 2025, and the new purchase exceeds that figure by $2 billion, ESPN reports.
The sale is part of a broader run-up in franchise valuations. ESPN’s rundown of recent high-priced transactions lists the Boston Celtics at $6.1 billion, a purchase by Bill Chisholm’s Symphony Technology Group from the Grousbeck family in March 2025.
The Washington Commanders sold for $6.05 billion to a group led by Josh Harris, according to ESPN. That sale followed investigations into former owner Dan Snyder and findings by attorney Mary Jo White; Snyder was fined $60 million. ESPN also noted the Harris-led group is part of Harris-Blitzer Sports Entertainment, which owns the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils.
Other notable sales cited by ESPN include the Denver Broncos for $4.65 billion to the Walton-Penner group in 2022; a $4 billion combined sale of the Phoenix Suns and Mercury that received league approval in February and set an NBA benchmark at the time; the Dallas Mavericks at $3.5 billion in 2023 to buyers tied to the Las Vegas Sands families; and the Charlotte Hornets for $3 billion after Michael Jordan agreed to sell his majority stake in 2023.
