The Lakers sold for $12.5 billion in 72 hours | The Pirate Street Journal

The Pirate Street Journal · Sep 9, 2026 · 40m

HERE'S WHAT WE COVERED IN THIS EPISODE:

1. The Lakers just sold to people who do not have the money.

The Lakers sold for $12.5 billion, the most anyone has paid for a sports team. Mark Walter bought them a year ago at a $10 billion valuation, and he said yes in under 72 hours to a call he did not expect. He needed cash. The NBA caps debt at $475 million a team and limits any single fund to 20 to 30 percent, so buyers cannot lever these deals the normal way. Only about three owners could repurchase their own teams today. Buyers also write off the price over 15 years, roughly $830 million a…