The Los Angeles Lakers will enter new eras on and off the court before the 2026-27 campaign. LeBron James left the franchise after eight seasons to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.
However, the bigger off-court news made history, as the Lakers go through their second ownership change in as many years, with Josh Kushner and Bob Iger purchasing the historic franchise.
A Look Into Josh Kushner’s Personal Ties to President Donald Trump
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that Kushner and Iger bought the Lakers from Mark Walter for $12.5 billion on August 12. This ownership change comes just over a year after the Buss family sold their majority ownership to Walter on June 18, 2026, for $10 billion. Both sales broke the United States professional sports sales records.
Iger is a media executive who served two terms as the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, once from 2005 to 2020 and again from 2022 to 2026. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Iger’s net worth is $600 million. Kushner made most of his money through his venture capital firm, Thrive Capital, and by making smart early investments in Instagram, Spotify, and OpenAI. His net worth sits at approximately $5.2 billion.
Kushner is the younger brother of Jared Kushner, who is married to President Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump. Jared served as a senior White House adviser to the president in his first term from 2017 to 2021. He was appointed as the United States Special Envoy for Peace Missions earlier this year and is the founder and CEO of Affinity Partners.
According to Business Insider, the Kushner brothers maintain a strong familial relationship, despite clear political differences. Jared shares more right-leaning views with President Trump, while Josh has not been shy about his more liberal stance. He and his wife, Karlie Kloss, distanced themselves from the Trump administration politically.
“It is no secret that liberal values have guided my life and that I have supported political leaders that share similar values,” said Josh to Forbes in 2017.
However, the brothers do not let their political differences strain their personal relationship, as Josh revealed that they speak daily and get along well.
The two new Lakers owners are no strangers to the NBA, as they revealed in their statement after purchasing the franchise.
“As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honored for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world … Our long-term commitment is to build on [the Buss family’s] foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles,” said Josh Kushner and Iger.
All eyes will be on Los Angeles as the franchise enters the post-James era under new ownership.
