The Los Angeles Lakers are arguably the biggest franchise in the NBA. While teams like the Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls have become relevant worldwide with modern dynasties and teams like the New York Knicks remain popular because of the massive market they are in, the Lakers have combined both.
Not only are the Lakers in the second-largest NBA market, but they also have a demonstrated history of winning championships across eras. The franchise may be valuable but the owners behind it aren’t. The Buss family runs the Lakers like a family business and are at a financial disadvantage when it comes to teams like the LA Clippers, who are owned by Steve Ballmer, one of the richest men on earth.
After estimates of what the Phoenix Suns may sell for have come out, Brian Windhorst has speculated that the Buss family will probably try to sell a percentage of the team due to the incredibly high market value of the Lakers.
“I think it’s possible the Buss family could sell part of the Lakers at some point,” Windhorst said. “You know they own two-thirds of the Lakers. I could see them selling part of the Lakers someday. … Let’s say [the Suns] sell for $3.5 (billion). What do you think the Lakers would be worth in that environment? I mean, $5 to $6 (billion). And to be honest with you, like if I were Jeanie Buss, I wouldn’t even accept a phone call to pitch me, even to buy a percentage of the team, for less than $6 billion.” (h/t SB Nation)
The Lakers will remain popular for the foreseeable future, especially in the eyes of a non-basketball fan. It’s the basketball team everyone knows whether they know anything about the actual sports part of it. Other owners around the league are also allegedly looking to sell their teams due to the high value of NBA franchises right now.
The Real Value Of The Lakers
As Windhorst guessed, the Lakers’ total value would be around $5-6 billion if the Phoenix Suns are expected to sell for $3.5 billion. Forbes estimated the Lakers to be worth $5.9 billion, the third-most valuable NBA franchise behind the Warriors and the Knicks.
When it comes to selling a part of the franchise, the Lakers’ value will be boosted in the eyes of possible investors because of the cultural relevance of the team. Most of the biggest icons of the sport wore Lakers jerseys, including LeBron James, who will likely break the league’s all-time scoring record in Laker colors, surpassing another man who set the record while playing for the Lakers in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The Buss family has already started to lose financial battles to other owners in the league, as teams are expected to go deep into the luxury tax to be competitive in the modern NBA. Dr. Jerry Buss sold a part of the team to Phillip Anschultz when he had the chance, and it might be Jeanie’s turn to do something similar and keep up with the NBA.
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