The Los Angeles Lakers have set a new record for the most expensive sports club sale in history after reaching an agreement valuing the NBA franchise at $12.5 billion.
The deal between Mark Walter, Joshua Kushner and former Disney executive Bob Iger comes just one year after Walter acquired the Lakers from the Buss family at a $10 billion valuation in 2025. The latest transaction therefore represents a $2.5 billion increase in the franchise’s valuation in just 12 months.
The new Lakers valuation also surpasses the $9.612 billion sale of the Seattle Seahawks, which set a record for an NFL franchise when the transaction was completed in July 2026.
The deal highlights the accelerating growth in sports franchise valuations, particularly in the US, where billionaire investors and investment groups have increasingly targeted major teams across the NBA, NFL and MLB.
Lakers occupy top two spots
The Lakers now hold the top two positions in the ranking of the most expensive sports club sales in history.
The current top 10 is:
- Los Angeles Lakers – $12.5 billion (NBA, 2026)
- Los Angeles Lakers – $10 billion (NBA, 2025)
- Seattle Seahawks – $9.612 billion (NFL, 2026)
- Boston Celtics – $6.1 billion (NBA, 2025)
- Washington Commanders – $6.05 billion (NFL, 2023)
- Denver Broncos – $4.65 billion (NFL, 2022)
- Portland Trail Blazers – $4.25 billion (NBA, 2025)
- Phoenix Suns & Phoenix Mercury – $4 billion (NBA/WNBA, 2023)
- San Diego Padres – $3.9 billion (MLB, 2026)
- Milwaukee Bucks & Dallas Mavericks – $3.5 billion (NBA, 2023)
Notably, no football club features in the top 10, despite a growing number of major ownership changes across European football.
Chelsea, for example, was sold in 2022 to a consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital for nearly €3 billion. In Serie A, US investors have also become increasingly influential, with the Friedkin family taking control of Roma, RedBird acquiring Milan and Oaktree assuming control of Inter.
However, those transactions remain well below the valuations being achieved by the biggest US sports franchises.
The Lakers’ latest deal underlines the widening valuation gap between US sports franchises and European football clubs, while also demonstrating the growing appeal of elite sports assets to global investors.