Bob Iger, Joshua Kushner buy Los Angeles Lakers at a $12.5 billion valuation, source says

Cnbc · Aug 12, 2026 · 419 words · By Alex Sherman; Jessica Golden

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What to know about Bob Iger, Joshua Kushner buy Los Angeles Lakers at a $12.5 billion valuation, source says

Less than a year after buying a controlling ownership stake in the NBA's Lakers, Mark Walter has sold his majority equity to Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger, according to a statement.

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center80%

Right20%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Less than a year after buying a controlling ownership stake in the NBA's Lakers, Mark Walter has sold his majority equity to Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger, according to a statement.

Why it matters

The deal values the team at $12.5 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the terms of the sale.

Common ground

"As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honored for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world," Iger and Kushner said in a joint statement Wednesday.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Bob Iger, Joshua Kushner buy Los Angeles Lakers at a $12.5 billion valuation, source says?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Walter's TWG Global holding company controls the insurers, his stake in Guggenheim and ownership stakes in other sports teams including MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers and the English Premier League soccer team Chelsea?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/12/bob-iger-joshua-kushner-buy-los-angeles-lakers-f…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

verified Verified By Reference 3

schedule Pending 3

help Insufficient Evidence 1

verified Verified 1

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Claim 1: “Walter's TWG Global holding company controls the insurers, his stake in Guggenheim and ownership stakes in other sports teams including MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers and the English Premier League soccer team Chelsea.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

While other claims confirm Walter's ownership of Guggenheim and the Dodgers, the provided evidence does not explicitly detail the structure of 'TWG Global' or its control over Chelsea FC and the insurers.

verified

Claim 2: “Walter co-founded and still leads [Guggenheim Partners].”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly identifies Mark Walter as the chief executive officer of Guggenheim Partners.

verified

Claim 3: “Iger joined Thrive Capital, the venture capital firm run and founded by Kushner, earlier this year.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While Wikipedia confirms Joshua Kushner founded Thrive Capital and Bob Iger is a media executive, none of the provided evidence explicitly states that Iger joined Thrive Capital earlier this year.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Thrive Capital Management, LLC, commonly Thrive Capital, is an American venture capital firm based in New York City. It focuses on software and internet investments. The firm was founded by Joshua Kus…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrive_Capital

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Robert Alan Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American media executive who was the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company twice, from 2005 to 2020 and from 2022 to 2026. He previ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Iger

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Joshua Kushner (born June 12, 1985) is an American businessman and venture capitalist. He is a founder and managing partner of the venture capital firm Thrive Capital, co-founder and vice-chairman of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Kushner

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 4: “Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, who is married to President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and The New York Times explicitly confirm that Joshua Kushner is the brother of Jared Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Charles Kushner (born May 16, 1954) is an American real estate developer, diplomat, and former attorney serving since 2025 as the United States ambassador to France and Monaco. He founded Kushner Comp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Kushner

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jared Corey Kushner (born January 10, 1981) is an American businessman, investor, government official and politician. Through his marriage to Ivanka Trump, he is the son-in-law of the 45th and 47th pr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Kushner

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Kushner family is an American family involved in real estate development. The family originated from Novogrudok, Poland, and now Belarus, and is based in the New York metropolitan area. Joseph Kus…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kushner_family

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “Iger and his wife, Willow Bay, acquired professional women's soccer team Angel City Football Club for $250 million in 2024.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 6: “The Wall Street Journal reported last month that Walter, 66, suffered a stroke in 2024”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 7: “Walter is also among a group of investors that owns the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “Kushner and Iger had previously expressed interest in buying an NBA expansion team in Las Vegas.”

CORROBORATED

Yahoo Sports and other reports state that Kushner and Iger were eyeing an NBA expansion team in Las Vegas before pivoting to the Lakers purchase.

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web search NEUTRAL — Joshua Kushner (born June 12, 1985) is an American businessman and venture capitalist. He is a founder and managing partner of the venture capital firm Thrive Capital, co-founder and vice-chairman of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joshua_Kushner

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web search NEUTRAL — Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger were eyeing an NBA expansion team bid in Las Vegas but pivoted to buying the Lakers from Mark Walter, who bought a controlling interest in the team last year. LA Times. Los…
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/josh-kushner-bob-iger-plan…

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web search NEUTRAL — Venture capitalist Joshua Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger are set to buy the Los Angeles Lakers, with the deal valued at a record $US12.5 billion ($A17.7 billion), according to sources familiar…
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/9329415/power-pair-po…

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Claim 9: “The deal values the team at $12.5 billion”

CORROBORATED

The $12.5 billion valuation is explicitly reported by Reuters and other news sources as a record-breaking price for the sale.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Wes…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Lakers

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025–26 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 79th season of the franchise, its 78th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), its 66th season in Los Angeles, and its 27th season playing ho…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–26_Los_Angeles_Lakers_sea…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 10: “Bloomberg reported the Securities and Exchange Commission and U.S. prosecutors were investigating potential financial improprieties at two of Walter's insurance companies and at Guggenheim Partners”

CORROBORATED

Bloomberg and other reports confirm that U.S. prosecutors and the SEC are investigating financial improprieties at Guggenheim Partners and two of Walter's insurance companies.

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web search NEUTRAL — Mark Walter’s Insurers, Guggenheim Probed by Prosecutors.Walter’s Delaware Life Insurance Co. and Clear Spring Life and Annuity Co. received grand jury subpoenas in February, according to previously u…
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-07-20/billionai…

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web search NEUTRAL — United States prosecutors are investigating potential financial improprieties at two insurance companies and Guggenheim Partners, which are both headed by chief executive officer and Los Angeles Dodge…
https://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/dodgers_owner_mark_w…

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web search NEUTRAL — There are two active federal investigations into two insurance companies controlled by Dodgers owner Mark Walter.
https://www.truebluela.com/los-angeles-dodgers-news-notes/12…

verified

Claim 11: “Iger, 75, stepped down as CEO of Disney earlier this year after two stints that totaled roughly 20 years at the helm of the media giant.”

VERIFIED

Wikipedia confirms Bob Iger served as CEO twice (2005-2020 and 2022-2026). Web search results indicate he is stepping down/transitioning roles in 2024/2026. His age (born 1951) aligns with being 73-75.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Robert Alan Chapek (born 1959) is an American businessman and former media executive who was the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company from 2020 to 2022. He joined Masimo's board of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Chapek

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Willow Bay (born Kristine Carlin Bay; December 28, 1963) is an American television journalist, editor, author, and former model. In 2017, she became dean of the USC Annenberg School for Communication …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow_Bay

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “Mark Walter has sold his majority equity to Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources, including CNBC (via Binance News) and other reports, confirm that Mark Walter sold his majority equity in the Lakers to Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mark Richard Walter (born May 22, 1960) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and the chief executive officer of Guggenheim Partners, a privately held global financial services firm with more th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Walter

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024–25 Los Angeles Lakers season was the 78th season of the franchise, its 77th season in the National Basketball Association (NBA), its 65th season in Los Angeles, and its 26th season playing ho…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024–25_Los_Angeles_Lakers_sea…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 13: “Walter acquired the Lakers in October at a valuation of $10 billion.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results state that Mark Walter acquired the Lakers in October at a valuation of approximately $10 billion.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Josh Kushner and Bob Iger have agreed to buy the Los Angeles Lakers from Mark Walter in a deal valued at $12.5 billion, a record-breaking price that sets a new high-water mark for sports franchise sal…
https://www.billionaires.africa/2026/08/19/billionaire-bob-i…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Lakers were previously sold to businessman Mark Walter in October at a valuation of about $10 billion.Los Angeles Sparks: Walter acquired the Sparks in 2014 as part of an investment group led by h…
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/iger-kushner-walter-sports…

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web search NEUTRAL — Walter acquired control of the Lakers in October at a $10 billion valuation, becoming the latest billionaire to oversee the storied franchise. The Lakers stake is being sold separately from Walter's o…
https://www.storyboard18.com/brand-makers/former-disney-ceo-…

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.