Former Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma questioned the franchise’s rapid $12.5 billion sale, suggesting that a “crown jewel” would not be flipped just 14 months after changing ownership if everything were going well.
Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma raised eyebrows with his reaction to the franchise changing hands again just 14 months after Mark Walter first agreed to acquire control of the team.
Position
PF
Age
31
Height
203 cm
Weight
100 kg
Birth place
Michigan, United States of America
“Nobody flips a crown jewel in 14 months because it’s going well,” Kuzma wrote on X, appearing to question why Walter would move on from one of the most valuable franchises in professional sports so quickly.
Walter agreed to acquire majority ownership of the Lakers from the Buss family in June 2025 in a transaction valuing the franchise at approximately $10 billion.
The NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the deal later that year, and Walter formally completed the acquisition in October.
Now, just 14 months after the original agreement was announced, Bob Iger and Josh Kushner have agreed to purchase the Lakers from Walter at a record $12.5 billion valuation. The transaction still requires NBA approval.
The rapid turnaround represents a $2.5 billion increase in the Lakers’ reported valuation from Walter’s deal.
Walter’s quick exit also comes amid federal scrutiny of his business empire, with the FBI reportedly seizing his phone and computer in 2025 as part of a wider investigation into potential financial improprieties involving companies connected to him; no charges have been filed.
Credit AP-Scanpix
Kuzma has deep connection to Lakers
Kuzma’s reaction carries additional weight because of his history with the organization.
The Lakers acquired Kuzma’s draft rights in 2017 after he was selected with the No. 27 overall pick, and he spent the first four seasons of his NBA career in Los Angeles.
He became an important member of the Lakers’ 2020 championship team and averaged 15.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists across 276 games during his four seasons with the franchise.
Los Angeles eventually traded Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell to the Washington Wizards in the 2021 blockbuster deal that brought Russell Westbrook to the Lakers.
Kuzma has continued to identify strongly with that chapter of his career, previously saying after leaving Los Angeles that he was “cemented as a Lakers champion.”
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