Jeanie Buss Breaks Silence for the First Time About Mark Walter After Lakers’ Blockbuster $10 Billion Sale
Written by admin on June 26, 2025
The Los Angeles Lakers entered the 2024-25 season with genuine NBA championship aspirations, posting an impressive 50-32 record and giving Lakers fans hopes for another deep NBA playoff run. Those dreams, however, were brutally crushed in the first round when the Minnesota Timberwolves dismantled Los Angeles in five games
What should have been a stepping stone for the Lakers’ future became a stumbling block. Weeks later, the storied NBA franchise was at the center of an even bigger story.
Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss Comments on Team Sale to Mark Walter
On June 18, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that the Buss family was selling the Lakers franchise. The buyer? Billionaire Mark Walter, the CEO and chairman of TWG Global. After days of mounting speculation and silence, Jeanie Buss has finally addressed the sale publicly.
“The Buss family is deeply honored to have looked after this incredible organization for almost half a century,” Buss said in a statement on Wednesday, June 25, according to Business Wire.
“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.
“I have gotten to know Mark very well over time and been delighted to learn how he shares those same values,” Buss said. “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,”
According to this report, while Walter reached an agreement to acquire a controlling stake of the Lakers for $10 billion, “Buss will remain governor of the franchise and continue to oversee all team operations on a day-to-day basis for the foreseeable future.”
Walter is no stranger to running elite franchises. He currently serves as the primary owner and chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers and is also the main force behind Andretti Global’s Cadillac Formula One team.
His influence extends across leagues and continents. Walter also has a significant stake in the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and also holds 12.7% of BluCo, the group that owns Chelsea FC of the English Premier League.
“I admire what he, Jeanie, and the Buss family have built, and I know how much this special organization matters to Southern Californians and to sports fans everywhere,” Walter said, according to Business Wire’s report.
“I also have tremendous respect for Jeanie’s continued commitment to maintaining the Lakers’ long-term vision and elite status, and I’m excited to work with her on the next era,” Walter said.
The Buss ownership legacy dates back to 1979, when the late Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers, along with the Los Angeles Kings and The Forum, from Jack Kent Cooke for $67.5 million.
Under Jerry’s ownership, the Lakers became the gold standard of NBA excellence. After he died in 2013, the team was passed down to his children, with Jeanie Buss stepping into the role of governor.
Her reign, though, has not been without criticism. Between 2013-19, the Lakers missed the NBA playoffs in those seasons. Los Angeles only posted a 17–65 record overall record between 2015–16.
But Jeanie Buss sparked a resurgence in 2017. She reshuffled the front office by replacing her brother Jim and general manager Mitch Kupchak with Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka. That bold move paved the way for the arrivals of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, eventually culminating in the 2020 championship inside the NBA bubble.
The moment the @Lakers officially became 2020 NBA CHAMPS! pic.twitter.com/XdpPKYDoLQ
— NBA (@NBA) October 12, 2020
Now, in the wake of the franchise’s most significant ownership change in decades, it remains to be seen how the Lakers will perform in the future with Walter leading the charge.
