The most impactful sale in the NBA takes a definitive step: the Lakers enter a new era

Los Angeles Lakers are increasingly closer to having new owners. Mark Walter and Josh Kushner have finalized all outstanding terms of the deal to sell the Los Angeles franchise for a valuation of $12.5 billion, according to sources close to the negotiations reported to ESPN. The two businessmen met in person this Thursday at Walter's residence in Florida to finalize the details of a transaction that could be formalized soon with the signing of the agreement.

The agreement marks a decisive step toward completing one of the largest financial operations in the history of sports. According to the sources cited by ESPN, Kushner has informed Walter that he already has all the necessary funds to carry out the acquisition, and the parties have resolved the final outstanding aspects before putting the agreement in writing.

However, the signing does not mean that the change of ownership will be immediate. Once the transaction is formalized, it will have to undergo the NBA's review process, which will examine both the financing and the proposed ownership structure.

Josh Kushner asserts that he has the funds to buy the Lakers

The meeting held on Thursday in Florida allowed for the closure of the terms that were still pending between Walter and Kushner. Both had an in-person meeting at the residence of the current owner of the Lakers, where they finalized the details of the transaction.

Sources consulted by ESPN indicated that a formal agreement is expected to be signed shortly. One of the key points of the discussions was to ensure the necessary financing to complete a transaction valued at $12.5 billion. In that regard, Kushner would have assured Walter that he has all the financial resources to finalize the purchase.

The founder of Thrive Capital and former Disney CEO Bob Iger had previously reached an agreement with Walter to acquire the franchise. The operation surprised many due to the team's economic valuation, and since then, the parties have dedicated the last few months to working on the necessary details to complete the transaction.

The NBA still needs to review the operation

Although Walter and Kushner have already closed the outstanding terms, there is still an essential procedure before the transaction can be completed: the NBA review.

The league will need to analyze the financing of the purchase and the ownership structure proposed by the new investors. Such processes typically take time, as they require examining the economic and organizational details of the operation.

Therefore, the closure of negotiations does not yet equate to an effective change of ownership. The signing of the formal agreement will be the next step, but afterward, the NBA evaluation procedure will begin.

The operation thus enters a decisive phase after several months of discussions. With the outstanding terms resolved and financing secured, according to sources cited by ESPN, the acquisition of the Lakers by Josh Kushner and Bob Iger is approaching formalization. The $12.5 billion valuation makes this transaction one of the major economic operations in professional sports.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, La venta más impactante de la NBA da un paso definitivo: los Lakers cambian de era