The Buss family has agreed to sell the majority ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers at a $10 billion valuation to Mark Walter, and franchise icon Shaquille O’Neal is just a little bit upset about the transaction. On The Big Podcast with Shaq, O’Neal hilariously stated he would have liked to get something from Jeanie Buss as part of the sale.
“You know, I’m a little upset, right?” Shaq said. “… The Lakers got sold for 10 billion and I ain’t getting no Dually. I ain’t get no brand-new Escalade. I ain’t get nothing, dawg.”
O’Neal spent eight seasons with the Lakers from 1996-97 to 2003-04. He led the team to a historic three-peat from 2000 to 2002 and has played his part in the franchise further cementing itself as the most iconic in the NBA.
“It was Magic [Johnson], me, then Kobe [Bryant],” O’Neal stated. “Can I get something? I mean, can I get a check for like 50 million?”
Jeanie’s father, Jerry Buss, had bought the Lakers for $67.5 million in 1979, and the team won 11 championships under them. O’Neal, Magic Johnson, and Kobe Bryant were primarily responsible for the team has had.
Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Lakers to five championships in the 1980s. O’Neal and Bryant were the architects behind that three-peat, and the latter would lead the franchise to two more titles in 2009 and 2010.
While Johnson, O’Neal, and Bryant certainly played a big role in the Lakers being this valuable today, the Buss family obviously isn’t obliged to give them anything. O’Neal, whose net worth is estimated to be $500 million, has a massive business empire of his own, and he isn’t likely to give anyone a share from his sales unless he has to.
Johnson could have been the one among these three to get something, but he sold his 4.5% stake to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, a Lakers season-ticket holder, in 2010. He had purchased that share in June 1994 for a reported $10 million, and it’s unclear how much he sold it for.
While O’Neal was a little bit upset about not getting anything, Johnson seemingly wasn’t. He took to X to congratulate Buss on the sale and stated she had chosen the right person to hand the reins over to as well.
Johnson is part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, of whom Walter is the controlling owner. The Dodgers have won two World Series titles under his leadership, and Johnson believes the Lakers will thrive under him as well.
For now, though, Buss will remain the Lakers’ governor and continue to run the team for some more years. It will be interesting to see how Walter transforms the franchise over time.
The Lakers have only won one championship since 2010 and are coming off back-to-back first-round exits. The presence of Luka Doncic gives hope that the future will be bright, but they’ll have to surround him with the right pieces to achieve ultimate glory.
