Last week, it was reported that Jeanie Buss and her family had agreed to sell their majority stake of the Los Angeles Lakers to TWG Global CEO and owner of the L.A. Dodgers, Mark Walter. With Walter also already serving as a minority owner of the Lakers over the past few years, the relationship between himself and the Buss family was already there.
Now, Buss and Walter have come out and announced the sale themselves, meaning that once everything is made official, the Lakers will not be owned by the Buss family for the first time since 1979.
And Jeanie has now made her first statement since news of the sale came out, saying that Walter carries the same beliefs and values that the Buss family has in regards to running the Lakers and giving the city of Los Angeles everything they deserve.
“The Buss family is deeply honored to have looked after this incredible organization for almost half a century,” said Buss. “From the day our father purchased the Lakers, we have been determined to deliver what the City of Los Angeles deserves and demands: a team that is committed to winning – relentlessly – and to doing so with passion and with style.”
Buss continued, “I have gotten to know Mark very well over time and been delighted to learn how he shares those same values. For the last four years, Mark has been an excellent partner to us, and we are thrilled to keep working with him to continue the Lakers’ extraordinary legacy.”
Walter has certainly shown his commitment to winning throughout his time as owner of the Dodgers, giving that franchise all of the resources necessary to be the premier franchise in baseball. Now, much of that same mindset and desire will be transferred over to the Lakers and that should lead to great things for this organization as a whole.
The Buss family has built the Lakers into one of the preeminent sports franchises in the world with a passionate global fanbase and legacy of winning that few can match and that should continue on under Walter.
Some within Lakers ‘shocked’ at how quickly sale came together
The sale of the Lakers itself was a bit surprising, though some did feel it could be on the way considering Mark Walter had the first right of refusal if Jeanie and the Buss family wanted to sell. But even some within the Lakers organization itself were shocked at how quickly everything came together.
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