Despite having full control for less than a year, Mark Walter has decided to sell the Los Angeles Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger.
Mark Walter flipping the Lakers after less than a year for a quick $2 billion profit has raised plenty of eyebrows.
After acquiring a 27% minority stake in 2021, he agreed to buy the Buss family’s majority share at a $10 billion valuation in June 2025, gaining official NBA approval by October 2025.
Interestingly, the deal only applies to the Lakers. Walter is retaining full control of his wider TWG Global sports portfolio, including the MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers and the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.
NBA fans put two and two together with Mark Walter and the LA LakersThe sudden transaction comes amidst federal and SEC inquiries into insurance firms tied to Mark Walter’s business group, providing him an extraordinarily profitable and timely exit from the NBA spotlight.
This is the main reason that NBA fans believe has contributed to a sudden sale.
One supporter kicked things off by saying: “The price Walter had to pay to get out of the federal investigation.”
“Mark Walter selling the Lakers to a Kushner so he can avoid that federal investigation would be so on brand for the state of this country,” this supporter agreed.
Another believes it’s everything to do with his financial status: “I have a sneaky feeling that there’s more than meets the eye with Walter, especially given his investigation.”
“So Mark Walter is under fed investigation, and in the midst of that sells the Lakers to a Kushner?” This fan also has suspicions over the ties between Kushner and Donald Trump.
Lastly, this fan agreed on the opportunist angle: “Seems like Iger/Kushner were focused on Las Vegas expansion franchise, but pivoted with Walter under tax investigation, and pivoted.”
Of course, we have no understanding on exactly why Mark Walter wanted to sell the Lakers, this is merely speculation from the NBA community.
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