Bob Iger has positioned himself to be part of a consortium, alongside Joshua Kushner, aiming to acquire the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal that has been valued at roughly $12.5 billion. The announcement marks another high-profile pivot for the 75-year-old executive whose name is already synonymous with blockbuster media transactions.
From studio boardrooms to the sports arena
Long before his most recent bid to join Lakers ownership, Iger built a reputation as a dealmaker at The Walt Disney Company. As chief executive from 2005 through 2020, he led acquisitions that reshaped the global entertainment landscape, including purchases that returned to the corporate balance sheet as marquee franchises and brands.
| Acquisition | Year | Reported price |
|---|---|---|
| Pixar | 2006 | $7.4 billion |
| Marvel | 2009 | $4 billion |
| Lucasfilm | 2012 | $4.05 billion |
| 21st Century Fox assets | 2019 | $71.3 billion |
Those transactions helped transform Disney into a dominant studio and content platform. During his stewardship, Iger was also intimately involved in ESPN’s strategy, including negotiations and decisions on rights for the NFL, NBA and MLB. The combination of media dealcraft and sports-rights experience gives him a rare cross-industry perspective among prospective NBA owners.
Not a newcomer to sports ownership
Iger is not making his first foray into professional sports ownership. In the summer of 2024 he and his wife, Willow Bay, acquired a controlling stake in Angel City FC of the National Women’s Soccer League for $100 million, in a transaction that valued the club at $250 million — at the time the highest reported valuation for a women’s professional sports team.
- Iger served as Disney CEO from 2005 to 2020 and was executive chairman after stepping down.
- He has influenced major sports-rights decisions at ESPN, including NFL, NBA and MLB agreements.
- The Lakers purchase being pursued by the group is estimated at about $12.5 billion.
“I am a Clippers fan,” Iger said during a conversation on NBA allegiances, noting his reluctance to support the Lakers after moving to Los Angeles.
The remark about rooting for the Los Angeles Clippers — rather than the Lakers — surfaced on a podcast appearance and underscored a personal sports identity that contrasts with his latest business move. He has attended many games over the years and has been widely regarded as a fan with deep ties to both the entertainment and sports communities.
What this could mean
At face value, Iger brings to the potential ownership group an unusually broad résumé: blockbuster M&A experience, deep relationships across Hollywood and sports, and a track record of navigating high-stakes rights negotiations. For the Lakers, one of the NBA’s most valuable and visible franchises, a new ownership structure including a media titan could carry commercial and branding implications — from sponsorship partnerships to content strategies tied to the team’s global footprint.
Any final outcome still depends on the closing of the proposed transaction and approval by league authorities. But the alignment of a high-profile media executive with an already heated market for NBA franchises underscores how elite sports properties continue to attract investors with entertainment and media credentials.
