Lakers from Los Angeles: Josh Kushner and Bob Iger buy basketball team – for more than twelve billion dollars

The Los Angeles Lakers, a basketball team based in Los Angeles, have changed ownership once again at a record-breaking price. According to ESPN, the new owners of the iconic basketball club are Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger. The two are reported to have paid over twelve billion dollars (approximately ten point four billion euros) for the team from the North American elite league, the NBA.

Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former US President Donald Trump, and had been a key investor in a controversial deal to sell FIFA's rights to football World Cups, which ultimately failed due to intense protests from the football world. Iger, on the other hand, was once the CEO of Disney, the US media conglomerate that owns ESPN.

The new owners expressed their deep gratitude in a statement, stating, "As life-long NBA fans, we are profoundly honored to have the opportunity to take over one of the most legendary sports teams in the world." It was only in 2025 that the Lakers, which have become one of the world's most famous clubs thanks to basketball legends such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal, were sold for the then-record price of ten billion dollars.

Just a year ago, entrepreneur Mark Walter had suggested a price of ten billion dollars, but now, apparently, more money is flowing in.