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By Bryan Colbert Jr.
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The Los Angeles Lakers are one step closer to completing the most expensive franchise sale in professional sports history.
According to ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, current Lakers owner Mark Walter and businessman Josh Kushner have reached an agreement on all outstanding terms of the team's proposed $12.5 billion sale.
The development marks a significant step toward transferring ownership of one of the NBA's most recognizable franchises.
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Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger initially agreed to purchase the Lakers in August, just months after Walter completed his own acquisition of the organization.
Walter purchased a controlling interest in the Lakers from the Buss family in 2025 at a franchise valuation of approximately $10 billion.
The latest agreement represents a $2.5 billion increase in the team's valuation in roughly one year, highlighting the extraordinary financial growth of professional sports franchises.
According to the report, Kushner has informed Walter that he has secured the necessary funding to complete the transaction.
However, the sale is not yet official.
The agreement must still be formally signed and reviewed by the NBA, with approval from the league's board of governors required before ownership can change hands.
Kushner is the founder of Thrive Capital, while Iger previously served as CEO of Disney, the parent company of ESPN.
The two businessmen had previously explored opportunities involving potential NBA expansion before shifting their attention toward purchasing the Lakers.
Their acquisition would place one of basketball's most successful organizations under new leadership at a pivotal moment in its history.
The Lakers have undergone significant changes in recent years, including the arrival of superstar Luka Doncic and the departure of longtime franchise cornerstone LeBron James.
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Despite those changes, the organization's global popularity and commercial value remain among the strongest in professional sports.
For Lakers fans, the agreement represents another major development in a period of transition.
While the immediate focus remains on the team's performance on the court, the potential ownership change could have long-term implications for the franchise's direction.
With the financial terms reportedly settled, the Lakers now await the remaining steps necessary to finalize a record-breaking transaction that could reshape the future of one of the NBA's most storied franchises.
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