6 Magic pieces of advice for new Lakers owners Bob Iger and Josh Kushner: Keep Luka Doncic happy
Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner have some big decisions to make. They’re now the proud owners of one of the most heralded teams in sports, the 17-time champion Los Angeles Lakers, whom they bought from Mark Walter for $12.5 billion on Wednesday morning. It’s unclear what their plan is yet, but here’s some advice for the new leaders of the darling franchise of the NBA.While Walter had the blueprint on how to turn a franchise into a success after helping the Dodgers win three World Series titles after purchasing the team in 2012, Iger and Kushner lack that playbook. Iger is the former CEO of Disney.Kushner is a venture capitalist.
They need help.They need trusted advisors. It remains to be seen whether they can build that trust with Lakers’ president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka, who overhauled the Lakers’ roster this summer around Luka Doncic.
ESPN analyst Stephen A.Smith floated the idea of pursuing Bob Myers, who helped the Warriors become the league’s modern-day dynasty before becoming the president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment. Iger and Kushner need to figure out who they respect and trust, and they need to heavily rely on that person, regardless of whether they make a change or keep the status quo. The last 18 months have been disorienting for Doncic.
He was shockingly traded to the Lakers in February 2025, and has already experienced two ownership changes with his new franchise. The 27-year-old superstar, who finished fourth in MVP voting last season, deserves a bit of stability, eh? Doncic is highly motivated to win his first championship after being dealt by the Mavericks, with whom he thought he’d spend his entire career.He had a major say in the personnel changes this summer.
And he needs to feel as though the Lakers have a clear direction and a plan to put him on a course to win a title. It’s now Iger’s and Kushner’s job to make that happen ahead of Doncic’s player optio...