Bob Iger and Josh Kushner agreed within days to buy the Los Angeles Lakers for a record $12.5 billion after pursuing a Las Vegas NBA expansion team. The deal comes as Madison Square Garden Sports considers separating the Knicks and Rangers and Jeff Bezos joins a group buying a minority stake in Liverpool.
The record price confirms that investors are paying a steep premium for scarce, globally recognized
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Why it matters
The Lakers sale resets the benchmark for sports-team valuations and makes future acquisitions more expensive.
What the Lakers’ $12.5bn sale says about sports ownership
Summary
The Los Angeles Lakers’ $12.5bn sale shows how far elite sports franchise valuations have risen. The piece also examines what Liverpool’s new shareholders bring to the club.
The decisive shift is that top sports teams now command valuations comparable to major global
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Why it matters
Record valuations are reshaping who can own major sports teams and how those assets must generate returns.