Shaquille O’Neal is not like Magic Johnson and makes his displeasure clear to Jeanie Buss over the Lakers sale
The NBA legend joked about the deal and admited he did not do what Magic Johnsosn did
Shaquille O’Neal and Jeanie Buss
In a big move for professional basketball, the Buss family sold most of the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter, a businessman who also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The deal cost around the figure of $10 billion, the most ever for a sports team in the U.S. Jeanie Buss will stay as the team’s leader and keep running things day-to-day, but this sale ends nearly 46 years of the family’s control over this famous NBA franchise.
This news has made many people in the basketball world to talk about it. Lakers great legend, Shaquille O’Neal, even made a joke about not getting any money from the huge sale.
“The Lakers got sold for $10 billion… and I didn’t get nothing, dog,” Shaq said on The Big Podcast. “It was Magic, me, and Kobe. Can I get something? Can I get a check for like $50 million?” he joked.
Even though he was joking, Shaq’s words show he is proud (and maybe a bit sad) about the past. He helped make the Lakers known around the world, but, unlike Magic Johnson, Shaq never owned part of the team.
What changes with this deal
Buyer: Mark Walter, who had 27% of the Lakers since 2021, now is the main owner.
Seller: The Buss family gave up 48% more, keeping 18%.
Leader: Jeanie Buss stays as team leader and on the NBA Board.
Value: The $10 billion price beats the old record of $6.1 billion from when the Boston Celtics were sold earlier this year.
With this deal, Walter grows his sports business world, which already has teams and clubs in different sports, such as: Los Angeles Dodgers, the WNBA’s Sparks, Chelsea FC, and other investments in Formula 1 and women’s hockey.
Reasons behind the big sale
The sale shows how hard it is to keep up with other billionare team owners in the NBA. The Buss family used to make most of their money from the Lakers. People like Steve Ballmer (Clippers) and Joe Tsai (Nets) spend more off the court.
Walter plans to make the Lakers better by:
Growing the scouting and stats department/li>
Investing in player development
Enhancing training grounds
Shaq’s future in the NBA business
Shaq did not make any money from this sale, but he is looking to own part of a new NBA team possibly starting in Las Vegas. He wants to be really involved. He is not the only former player wanting to own a team as LeBron James is too.
Even with Jeanie Buss still there, the Lakers are going into a new time, one where big companies and worldwide goals matter a lot.
