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The Los Angeles Lakers endured a ton of changes this past offseason.
On the roster alone, they brought in nine new players, making it one of the most historic and transformative summers in Lakers history.
The summer of change marked the end of the LeBron James era, a massive roster teardown and, more importantly, a massive corporate sale.
Despite the Lakers fully transitioning to the Luka Doncic era, the Lakers and now former owner Mark Walter shocked the basketball world in June.
In a stunning move, Walter sold his stake to a group led by Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, ending the long-standing Buss family era as a traditional mom-and-pop organization.
Walter was expected to lead the Lakers to glory, as he had with the Dodgers. Instead, he sold his stake after buying the Lakers less than a year ago.
In a recent exclusive interview with Jack Harris of the California Post, Walter explained what led to the historic sale this past June.
“We just received an offer on the Lakers that was quite a good offer,” Walter insisted, “that we decided we’d pursue selling it.”
Walter sold the Lakers to Iger and Kushner for a record-breaking $12.5 billion. That amount shattered Walter's purchase of roughly $10 billion just a little over a year ago.
Iger, one of the soon-to-be majority owners of the Lakers, laid out the details from his side of the purchase that took place more than three months ago.
“And while that happened, it was suggested to us that maybe Mark Walter would be interested in selling his stake in the Lakers. And we immediately decided that given the value of the franchise and the iconic nature of the team, that we would be really smart to pursue it. The deal came together in three days.
“It’s that simple.”
As things stand, Walter has five current ownership and holding companies, including the Dodgers, Cadillac Formula 1 Team, a Professional Women's Hockey League, Billie Jean King Cup and Motorsports.
Walter sold his stake in Chelsea Football Club and is reportedly looking to part with the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks. However, he did not elaborate on the possibility in his exclusive interview.
The 66-year-old said that he will keep the Dodgers no matter what. He's been the majority owner of the Dodgers since 2012 and has led them to three World Series titles, five National League Pennants and made the playoffs every year, while claiming the NL West division title in all but one season.
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