The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold for the second time in a year. Mark Walter, who also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, has agreed to sell the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for $12.5 billion, barely a year after he bought the iconic NBA franchise for $10 billion. Could the Dodgers be next?
Unlikely, at least for now, reports The Athletic. Instead, he'll remain the controlling owner as the Dodgers aim for their third straight title this fall. Walter and Guggenheim Partners purchased the Dodgers for a then-record $2.15 billion in 2012 and have since brought the organization three World Series titles and immense regular-season success.
The Dodgers have become baseball's model operation since 2012. More than just an immense revenue stream, the Dodgers hold another key for Walter: Shohei Ohtani's future with the team is directly tied to his. Ohtani's landmark $700 million contract, signed in December 2023, includes a "key man" clause that allows him to opt out and become a free agent should Walter or president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman ever leave the organization.
"Everybody has to be on the same page to be a winning organization. Those two are at the top of it," Ohtani said through an interpreter when he signed with the Dodgers. "I feel almost like I'm having a contract with those two guys.
If one of them are gone, things might get a little out of control. I just wanted a safety net." All of this is hypothetical for now, of course, and team president Stan Kasten told reporters on Wednesday that "there are no changes" with the Dodgers amid the Lakers sale. If that does change, though?
Ohtani is "unlikely" to exercise his opt-out, The Athletic reported Thursday. Ohtani, 32, is in his third season with the Dodgers after helping the club win the 2024 and 2025 World Series. Already a four-time MVP, Ohtani is looking for his fourth consecutive award.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
