The Luka Doncic trade knocked down the first domino, leading the Los Angeles Lakers into a new era. Keeping the surprises coming, the Buss family shockingly sold the franchise for $10 billion this past week. Although the citizens of LA loved the Buss family for everything they did with the Lakers, some fans are excited about this new chapter. NBA analyst Shannon Sharpe is one of those people.
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ESPN insider Shams Charania broke the news of the transaction on Wednesday. The Buss family agreed upon the terms to sell their majority stake to Mark Walter, marking the highest point of purchase for a U.S. professional sports team.
The deal allows Jeanie Buss to remain the team’s governor for “at least a number of years,” according to Charania. Besides, the new face of the Lakers’ ownership isn’t someone Los Angeles sports fans are unfamiliar with.
Walter owns 27% of the defending 2024 World Series Champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers. He helped lead the massive purchase of the MLB team in 2012. Fast forward to 2025, and Walter’s net worth is an estimated $6.1 billion.
Shannon Sharpe has every reason to be excited about the future of the Lakers following Walter’s purchase of the team.
“This is the Lakers, there’s no bigger brand in basketball than the Lakers,” Sharpe proclaimed on Nightcap. “Now they’ve got an owner that has deep, deep pockets.”
Sharpe’s co-host, Joe Johnson, broke down what that means for fans unaware of the financial impact a wealthy owner could have on an NBA team.
“He’s going to be willing to go into the luxury tax,” Johnson added. Of course, no team wants to be in the luxury tax. In some instances, it is essential for formulating a championship-caliber team, while the Buss family drew the line at becoming a second-apron team. They were $670,000 away from that dreaded tax threshold.
Walter has shown through his track record of spending with the Dodgers that he is willing to put forth money to win championships. It won’t be cheap to add talent, considering the way contracts are heading following the league’s new media deal.
There’s merit to Sharpe’s take. Typically, teams with wealthy owners are more willing to invest in their franchise. A great example is Mat Ishbia and the Phoenix Suns. He didn’t think twice about entering the second-apron with hopes of competing for a title.
Hopefully, Walter doesn’t make the same questionable trades as Ishbia. But he can allow the Lakers to enter a new era led by their young stars, Doncic and Austin Reaves. As a result, the 2025-26 season will be intriguing to gauge his level of impact on the team’s success.
