Dodgers owners Mark Walter and Todd Boehly are reportedly purchasing the minority ownership stake of the Lakers being sold by Philip Anschultz, Yahoo Sports reported Saturday.
News broke late Friday that Anschultz would be selling the second-largest stake of the team, a 27-percent share, which trails only the 66 percent owned by the Buss family. The deal is pending approval by the NBA’s Board of Governors.
Sportico says it has five sources; two of which are saying the deal is valued at $5 billion. Anschultz founded AEG, which alongside the Lakers owns the Staples Center. The stake in the Lakers was not owned by AEG, but Anschultz personally.
A deal could be finalized in early July.
The Lakers are ranked by Forbes as the 7th most valuable sports franchise at $4.6 billion as of May, trailing the Dallas Cowboys (NFL), Yankees, New York Knicks (NBA), Barcelona (Soccer), Real Madrid (Soccer) and the Golden State Warriors (NBA). The Dodgers were ranked No. 16 with a value of $3.57 billion, the second-best in the Major Leagues.
Walter’s net worth is estimated to be $4.9 billion according to Forbes. He is the CEO of Guggenheim Partners, which has over $310 billion in assets under management. Other investments of his include stakes in plant-based food maker Beyond Meat and online car vendor Carvana.
Between the Dodgers and Lakers, Los Angeles has really bonded through the success of the two teams, especially after they both won world championships in 2020.
A well-known partner of Guggenheim Partners’ purchase of the Dodgers in Magic Johnson, who is a Lakers legend and former owner of the basketball staple. After he sold his stake of the team in 2010, he became president of basketball operations; a role he renounced as well. In 2019 he stepped down after alleging that there was lots of whispering and backstabbing going on in the organization. He would go on to appear on ESPN and accuse team general manager Rob Pelinka of stabbing him in the back.
In theory, the two teams may be tied together again shortly, and one has to think that Johnson and Pelinka could work together again. For anybody worried, the two have said to have reconciled after the Lakers won the NBA Championship in 2020.
Rob Pelinka really made me feel good tonight reaching out after the Lakers won the NBA Championship. It means the world to me because I know he’s in the middle of celebrating with all of the Lakers players, coaches, and Jeanie Buss he didn’t have to!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) October 12, 2020
Stay tuned to see what happens next in the bonding of the Lakers and the Dodgers.
