The Los Angeles Lakers appear to be entering a new era. According to multiple reports, the Buss family has agreed to sell its controlling interest in the team to billionaire Mark Walter, valuing the team at a staggering $10 billion. If finalized, the deal would represent the most expensive sale of a professional sports team in North American history.
The Buss family has owned the Lakers since 1979, when the late Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the team from Jack Kent Cooke. Under his leadership, and later, his daughter Jeanie Buss’, the Lakers became one of the most iconic brands in sports.
Now, as the ownership torch prepares to pass to Walter, the spotlight has shifted to comparing the fortunes of the man taking over and the family stepping aside.
Mark Walter’s Lakers Takeover Highlights a Major Financial Gap Compared With Jeanie Buss
Walter, the co-founder and CEO of Guggenheim Partners, is already a familiar figure in L.A. sports circles. His company oversees more than $300 billion in assets, and his personal business interests include ownership stakes in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Sparks, and several other ventures spanning global sports.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Walter’s estimated net worth stands at $12.4 billion. Forbes, in a more conservative evaluation, pegs his net worth at $6.1 billion. Even using the lower estimate, his wealth significantly outpaces that of Jeanie Buss, who currently serves as the Lakers’ governor.
Breaking: The Buss family is entering an agreement to sell majority ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter, the CEO and chairman of diversified holding company TWG Global, sources tell @ShamsCharania.
Jeanie Buss will continue to serve in her role as Governor after… pic.twitter.com/5Q5AJteYzw
– ESPN (@espn) June 18, 2025
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Jeanie’s net worth is estimated at $700 million. Most of that valuation is tied to her leadership role with the Lakers and her inherited stake in the team. After Dr. Buss passed away in 2013, Jeanie and her siblings inherited a 66 percent share of the Lakers.
Over time, full operational control shifted to Jeanie, who has led the team through a decade that included a 2020 championship and multiple front-office transitions.
The Buss family originally purchased the Lakers along with the L.A. Kings and The Forum for $67.5 million. Today, the team alone is valued at approximately $6.5 billion, but the proposed $10 billion sale to Walter suggests a forward-looking valuation anchored in brand strength, TV rights, and the long-term commercial reach of the NBA.
Keep in mind that Walter has already held a minority stake in the Lakers since 2021. This potential expansion into a controlling ownership role would put him at the center of the team’s next chapter. Jeanie, meanwhile, is expected to remain as governor despite the shift in equity.
