The Los Angeles Lakers’ valuation just made a mind-blowing $2.5 billion jump in less than a year, according to Sportico’s latest NBA franchise valuations. Seriously, can you even wrap your head around that? It’s not just some random number either, because this massive increase comes after Bob Iger and Josh Kushner snatched up Mark Walter’s share of the team for a staggering $12.5 billion. Walter himself had only bought majority ownership from the Buss family in June 2025 at around a $10 billion valuation. The speed of this financial sprint has everyone scratching their heads.
NBA Money Machine Is Going Wild
Sportico’s new numbers confirm the Lakers are indeed worth that eye-popping $12.5 billion, placing them third overall in the entire league. Only the Golden State Warriors, at $14.5 billion, and the New York Knicks, at $12.8 billion, sit ahead of them. Right now, those three are the only NBA teams valued at $10 billion or more, though we all know the upcoming Las Vegas expansion team is going to shake that up. But here’s the kicker: this isn’t just a Lakers thing. Sportico’s projections show valuations are absolutely soaring across the whole NBA. Every single one of the top 10 most valuable teams saw their worth jump by at least 20% year-over-year. That kind of growth is just insane to witness, especially when you think about how quickly the Lakers’ value surged between owners.
The $30 Billion Dream and the Streaming Hustle
While the big names like Walter, Iger, Kushner, and the Buss family have hogged the headlines, there’s another player in this financial game: minority owner Patrick Soon-Shiong, who holds 4% of the team. And guess what? He’s not going anywhere. Chuck “Tiger” Kenworthy, his family attorney, told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times that Soon-Shiong straight up believes the Lakers are “still undervalued.” Can you imagine? Iger and Kushner are apparently telling prospective investors the team could hit a $30 billion valuation within the next decade, according to Jessica Toonkel and Mark Maurer of the Wall Street Journal. That projection is banking on TV and streaming rights doubling in value, which is a HUGE gamble.
We’ve all seen the mess with regional sports networks messing with the NBA’s money lately. So, the league is looking at creating a “local League Pass subscription,” per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, and even ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro is interested. But with everyone cutting the cord and streamers all wanting a piece of live sports, the NBA is splitting its broadcast rights across more partners. That means more cash for the league, with the latest national TV deal tripling the value of the previous one. It’s great for the bottom line, but let’s be real, it’s not exactly consumer-friendly when you need five different subscriptions to watch all the games. So, the big question hanging over all of this is: can this “line always goes up” strategy keep going, especially with cost-of-living concerns just getting wilder by the day? It feels like the whole financial future of the league is riding on this bet.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Silver Screen and Roll.
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