For the second time in the last two years, the Los Angeles Lakers will be under new leadership after Mark Walter agreed to sell his majority ownership stake to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner for a record $12.5 billion valuation.
Iger, of course, is most known for being the former CEO of Disney. He is also known for something else, however, and that’s being a fan of the crosstown rival L.A. Clippers.
“I am a Clippers fan. Having moved from New York to Los Angeles back in 2000, and being a big NBA fan, I needed a team to root for,” Iger told now Lakers head coach JJ Redick on the Old Man and the Three podcast in 2021. “In my youth, the Lakers were a big rival of the Knicks, the team I grew up rooting for. So I couldn’t root for the Lakers very easily. It just was not in my DNA. So I decided to adopt the Clippers, which was actually a good thing because their seats were a lot cheaper than the Lakers. And actually, they were just on the cusp of actually being fun to watch. It was the Corey Maggette, Cuttino Mobley era, and then of course came DeAndre Jordan and drafting Blake (Griffin) and trading for Chris (Paul). So when Chris got traded to first the Lakers actually and then the Clippers, there I was at courtside.”
Things obviously change as Iger now owns the Lakers and will be wearing plenty of purple and gold moving forward. While this quote surfacing may make it a little tougher for Laker fans to get on board with him owning the team, the best way for him to get past it is to help return the Lakers to glory in the near future.
Iger and Kushner previously were planning to make a run at owning an NBA expansion team in Las Vegas. When they got word that Walter could be willing to sell the Lakers though, they changed courses and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse for one of the most historic franchises in sports.
Bob Iger excited to buy Lakers
Even though he used to hate the Lakers as a Clippers fan, Iger expressed his excitement to purchase the franchise and lead them moving forward.
“Grateful, appreciative, excited to own something that’s as iconic as the LA Lakers,” Iger said of his feelings. “Josh and I are avid NBA fans. And [to] have an opportunity to own not just any NBA team, but the LA Lakers is…it’s extraordinary from a life experience perspective and business perspective. It’s still sinking in. We’re very excited.”
If you love our reporting, choose LakersNation.com as a preferred source on Google.
