Credit: DisneyBob Iger’s love of basketball has never been a secret, and Disney Springs is the proof.
For a short while, guests walking through Disney Springs passed the NBA Experience, a two-story interactive attraction built around the sport. It had shooting challenges, a virtual draft, replica locker rooms, and a whole lot of branding. It was an unusual fit for a shopping and dining district built around Disney intellectual property, and plenty of fans said so at the time.
It also did not last. The NBA Experience underperformed, and the space was eventually repurposed.
But the reason it existed at all traces back to leadership interest. Iger has been open about being a basketball fan for decades, and under his tenure, Disney’s relationship with the NBA deepened considerably through ESPN. The Disney Springs attraction was a physical expression of that, even if it did not connect with guests the way Disney hoped.
Which makes today’s news land differently for anyone who followed that stretch of Disney Springs history.
Iger just bought the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Deal
Former Disney CEO Bob Iger, along with Thrive Capital founder Josh Kushner, has purchased the Los Angeles Lakers for over $12 billion.
That figure makes it one of the largest transactions in the history of professional sports.
The pair bought the team from Mark Walter, who had acquired a controlling interest from the Buss family last year for approximately $10 billion. Walter had been the majority owner since October.
So the franchise changed hands twice in roughly a year, and the valuation climbed by about $2 billion during that period.
What Iger and Kushner Said
The two released a joint statement following the purchase.
“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. We have immense respect for the leadership and vision of Jerry and Jeanie Buss,” Iger and Kushner said.
“Our long-term commitment is to build on that foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles.”
The language there is worth noting. “Stewards” rather than owners is a deliberate word choice, and it echoes how Iger has historically talked about legacy brands during his time at Disney.
Mark Walter’s Statement
The outgoing owner also issued a statement, and it is a genuinely warm one.
“Owning the Los Angeles Lakers has been one of the great honors of my life, an extraordinary investment, but what I will carry with me is the community, the fans, and a city that treats this team as family,” Walter said.
“I am grateful to Jeanie Buss, the Buss family, the players, and the staff for welcoming me into this chapter. The Lakers belong to Los Angeles, and I have every confidence the best is still ahead.”
This Was Not the Original Plan
The Lakers were not what Iger and Kushner were initially pursuing.
The two were previously considering a major investment in a Las Vegas NBA expansion team before shifting course toward the Lakers.
That is a significant pivot. An expansion franchise means building something from nothing, with all the freedom and risk that involves. The Lakers are the opposite proposition entirely: one of the most established and scrutinized franchises in American sports, with a fan base that expects championships and a history that leaves very little room for experimentation.
Choosing the Lakers over an expansion team says something about what each was actually after.
Where Iger Stands With Disney Now
For anyone wondering how this intersects with his Disney role, here is the current situation.
Iger retired from his position as CEO of The Walt Disney Company in March. Josh D’Amaro took over as CEO.
Iger remains a Senior Advisor and a member of the Disney Board until the end of 2026.
So he is still connected to the company, but no longer running it, and that transition is what made a purchase of this scale possible in the first place. Buying and operating an NBA franchise is not a side project you take on while running Disney.
The Disney Springs Connection Is Worth Remembering
Circling back to where this started, because the throughline is genuinely interesting.
The NBA Experience at Disney Springs was an unusual project. Disney does not typically build attractions around properties it does not own, and a basketball venue in a Disney-branded shopping district was always going to be a hard sell to guests who came for Disney things.
It did not work out, and the closure was no surprise to most fans watching.
But the interest behind it was real, and it clearly did not go away. The same executive who greenlit a basketball attraction in Central Florida just spent $12 billion on the most storied basketball franchise in the country.
What This Means for Disney Fans
Practically speaking, not much changes.
Iger is no longer CEO, and Disney’s day-to-day direction sits with Josh D’Amaro. This purchase is a personal investment, not a corporate move, and there is no indication of any Disney involvement in the transaction.
Where it gets more interesting is the ESPN angle. Disney owns ESPN, ESPN has a substantial NBA broadcasting relationship, and Iger remains on the Disney board through the end of the year. That is a set of overlapping relationships worth watching, though nothing has been suggested publicly.
For now, this is a story about a former Disney CEO doing something he has apparently wanted to do for a very long time.
The NBA Experience did not stick. This one probably will.
