The Lakers Sold for 12.5 Billion, the Buss Family Walked Away: And MZT Returns to Europe After 25 Years

The Buss family sells its last stake: the end of 47 years of Lakers

The Buss family is selling its remaining 17.8 percent stake in the Los Angeles Lakers to the new majority owners Josh Kushner and Bob Iger. Jerry Buss bought the club in 1979; after his death in 2013 the stake was held by a family trust with six children, and Jeanie Buss became governor. Now four of six signatures were enough to trigger the clause and it was all over. The consequence is not only symbolic: the NBA requires at least a 15 percent stake for someone to remain a club governor, so Jeanie Buss loses the role - even though in the previous sale she was promised another five years. „We love the Lakers and the fans, but it is time to leave with dignity while we still can”, the family said. Promises in sport last exactly as long as the stake they were signed with.

12.5 billion dollars: the most expensive club in American sports history

The deal in which Mark Walter sells control of the Lakers to the Iger and Kushner group values the club at 12.5 billion dollars - the highest valuation ever for a professional sports club in the US. Walter took over the club from the Buss family in June 2025 at a valuation of 10 billion, and the deal only closed in October. So the value jumped by 2.5 billion in around 14 months, without a single trophy won in between. Iger says the agreement was struck in just three days after they learned Walter might be selling. The sale still awaits approval from the NBA Board of Governors in September. Basketball is the pretext; the board being played on has long been a different one.

Westbrook did not retire because nobody called

Russell Westbrook ended his career after 18 seasons, but not because the phone went quiet. According to insider Marc Stein, Washington offered him a two-year deal and Sacramento considered another season - only with a reduced role mentoring rookie Darius Acuff Jr. „Sources say it was Westbrook, not the club, who ended those talks”, Stein reported. At 37, averaging 15.2 points last season, he turned both down. He finishes a nine-time All-Star, the 2016/17 MVP and the league record holder with 209 triple-doubles, on 27,176 points and 10,351 assists - fifth in history for assists. There are other ways to stop; this one at least was his own choice.

MZT returns to the EuroCup after a 25-year break

The basketball players of MZT Skopje Aerodrom held their first training session before the new season, in which the Macedonian champions play on three fronts - the Superleague, the ABA2 league and the FIBA EuroCup. Coach Vasko Atanasov had most of the roster available, and 15-year-old David Petkovski, one of the club's most talented juniors, also worked on the court. The biggest news is not a single transfer: it is MZT's return to the FIBA EuroCup after a 25-year break. A quarter of a century - that is how long a Macedonian club has been absent from that competition. Work continues in Skopje until the end of August, then preparations in Gevgelija with friendly matches, and the first official task is the Supercup against Kumanovo at the end of September.

FIBA Europe praised the organisation, and that is no small thing

The Basketball Federation of Macedonia received a plaque and public praise after the European Championship for men under 16 - Division B finished in Skopje and Gevgelija. FIBA Europe president Jorge Garbajosa assessed the organisation positively during his stay and said Macedonia is establishing itself on the right path towards a lasting partnership with European basketball's governing body. Recognition for organisation is always cheaper than recognition for results - but it is also easier to repeat. Hosting is the one category where a small federation can play on equal terms with the big ones, if it wants to. The question is whether anything follows the plaque, or whether the next round of praise will again be for the chairs and the hall.