Report: Jeanie Buss To Stay Lakers’ Governor For 5 Years Despite $10 Billion Valuation Mark Walter Takeover

Jeanie Buss has given her life and soul to the Lakers in her time as the governor, and Mark Walter has graciously retained her in the role.

Report: Jeanie Buss To Stay Lakers’ Governor For 5 Years Despite $10 Billion Valuation Mark Walter Takeover

Jeanie Buss, Mark Walter (FS Image)

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Many Lakers fans have wanted an overhaul of the team’s ownership structure for quite a while now. They got their heart’s wish when it was announced that minority owner Mark Walter would be taking over. The fanbase does hold Jeanie Buss in high regard, especially after some tumultuous times after Dr Jerry Buss’ death. But in the modern NBA, investment and analytics drive the game, and the team had fallen behind.

Bringing Mark Walter to the forefront after accepting a bid with a $10 billion valuation allows Jeanie Buss to invest in necessary organizational expenditures which were previously being cut corners on. It was reported a few days back, following the takeover, that the Lakers didn’t have an analytics team. For that matter, they didn’t even have access to a Synergy subscription to access game footage for their film study.

Much of this cost-cutting, which was a sign of the Lakers being a mom-and-pop store in a league run and owned by private equity funds and tech billionaires, will now be allayed by the influx of cash from Mark Walter. Walter has previously turned the fortunes of the Los Angeles Dodgers around with his approach. His ability to open the pocket book for players like Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts has seen them win two World Series.

Lakers fans can expect the same investment and enthusiasm from the CEO of Guggenheim Partners. Yet, Mark Walter is prepared to keep the traditionalism of the Lakers organization alive, at least for the foreseeable future. According to reports from The Athletic’s Sam Amick, governor Jeanie Buss is expected to remain in her role for five years, despite Walter’s takeover in June this year:

Let’s start with the Lakers, who were sold for a whopping $10 billion valuation to Dodgers owner/Lakers minority owner Mark Walter recently, but will still be run by longtime owner Jeanie Buss for quite some time to come. Per a team source, Buss’ agreement with Walter and the NBA stipulates that she’ll remain the team’s governor for at least the next five seasons.

How will Mark Walter make life easier for Jeanie Buss and family?

When Mark Walter took over the Dodgers in October 2012, he vowed to turn the fortunes of the despairing franchise around. He made good on that promise by making the team the highest spenders of the 2013 major league season. He also upped the spending on analytics and scouting for the Dodgers’ minor league prospects and draft. As a result, the organization was fast tracked on its march to relevance.

Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter with Shohei Ohtani
Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter with Shohei Ohtani (Image via Open Source/X)

The Dodgers went on to attract high quality talent like Freddie Freeman, and were also able to price out the Red Sox and sign Mookie Betts later on. This led to their 2020 World Series championship, which also made them the most desirable destination for other free agents. Eventually, Shohei Ohtani was brought into the setup, as well as other Japanese talent like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.

The Dodgers are on a 12-season playoff appearance streak, which is the longest active streak in the major leagues. They are primed to make it 13 this year as they currently lead the National League standings.

All of this indicates that Mark Walter knows how to lift a major league team from irrelevance to contention. Luckily for the Lakers, they already have a franchise superstar in Luka Doncic, whom they can expect to keep for the rest of his career. Mark Walter enables them to go deep into the luxury tax during his prime years.

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