How the Los Angeles Lakers' $10 billion sale compares to the price tags of other North American sports franchises

The Los Angeles Lakers shattered records on Wednesday with their $10 billion sale.

The Buss family struck a deal to sell controlling ownership of the iconic NBA franchise to Mark Walter in a deal that carries a valuation of approximately $10 billion. That broke the record for the largest sale of a sports franchise worldwide.

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Jerry Buss first purchased the Lakers in 1979 for $67.5 million in a deal that also included the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and The Forum. The franchise passed down to his children after he died in 2013, and Jeanie Buss has been the team's governor ever since. The Buss family owns about two-thirds of the Lakers, and Walter — who is also the primary owner and chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers — joined the ownership group as a minority owner in 2021. Despite the sale, Jeanie is expected to remain in her role as the team's governor.

The sale of the Lakers is a record deal for North American sports franchises, and it tops the $6.1 billion paid for a group led by Bill Chisholm for the Boston Celtics. That just barely broke the previous record set by Josh Harris' group when they purchased the NFL's Washington Commanders for $6.05 billion.

As far as NBA team's go, before the Celtics' sale to Chisholm, Mat Ishbia's $4 billion purchase of the Phoenix Suns in 2023 was previously the highest in the league. The Dallas Mavericks ($3.5 billion, Adelson and Dumont families) and the Brooklyn Nets ($3.3 billion, Joseph Tsai) round out the top five NBA sale prices.

Harris' group was the most expensive team purchase in the NFL at a little over $6 billion from Dan Snyder. There's a sizable difference between the Commanders' sale price and the team that comes in right after them, the Denver Broncos.

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The Walton-Penner group shelled out $4.65 billion to purchase the Broncos in 2022, which was an NFL and American sports-team record at the time. The team was put up for sale in February 2022 after lengthy legal battles with previous owner Pat Bowlen’s family following his 2019 death. Bowlen first purchased the franchise in 1984 for about $70 million.

Prior to the Broncos' sale, the Carolina Panthers' went for $2.275 billion to David Tepper. Previous owner Jerry Richardson put the team up for sale after a Sports Illustrated report detailed numerous allegations of sexually predatory behavior toward female employees and at least one financial settlement to a black scout that he called a racial slur. Richardson bought the Panthers for $206 million in 1993.

Lifelong New York Mets fan and hedge fund manager Steve Cohen bought the "Amazin's" in 2020 for a then-American sports record of $2.4 billion. The change in ownership from the Wilpon family to Cohen was welcomed by the fan base, which has since seen the team's payroll skyrocket from $195 million in 2021 to well over $300 million in 2025, including the monster contract handed to Juan Soto in free agency after luring the slugger away from the New York Yankees.

The Mets are one of five MLB teams that have sold for over $1 billion. The Los Angeles Dodgers were the first in 2012 after being purchased for $2 billion by Walter and Guggenheim Baseball Management. At the time, it was the richest sale ever in professional sports.

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Six years after the Dodgers sale, the Miami Marlins were bought by Bruce Sherman for $1.3 billion. John Sherman, no relation, spent $1 billion to acquire the Kansas City Royals two years later. The most recent MLB team to be sold is the Baltimore Orioles, who went for $1.725 billion in 2024 to Baltimore native David Rubenstein. The Tampa Bay Rays are in "advanced talks" to sell their franchise for a $1.7 billion deal, too.

The NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning have been a success under Jeff Vinik's ownership, making the Stanley Cup Final four times and winning two titles. The franchise's revitalization led to an NHL record sale price of $1.8 billion in October 2024 to a group of investors led by Doug Ostrover and Marc Lipschultz of Blue Owl Capital.

It's not a traditional sale, however, as Vinik will retain full control for now and transfer control to Ostrover and Lipschultz in three years. That $1.8 billion price tag will nearly double the $950 million Michael Andlauer paid to purchase the Ottawa Senators in 2023.

While the Lightning go through their unique sale process, the Utah Hockey Club and owner Ryan Smith hold the official top sale price. Smith, who also owns the NBA's Utah Jazz, bought the Arizona Coyotes in April for $1.2 billion and moved the franchise to the "Beehive State" to begin play with the 2024-25 NHL season.

Expansion in the NHL has become a costly process over the years. The Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers (now Winnipeg Jets), Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild each paid $80 million to enter the league between 1998 and 2000. Sixteen years later, Bill Foley shelled out $500 million for a Las Vegas franchise, and in 2018, the late David Bonderman and movie producer Jerry Bruckheimer paid $650 million for the Seattle Kraken franchise.