Magic Johnson delivered an emphatic endorsement of the Los Angeles Lakers’ prospective new owners Wednesday, offering Bob Iger and Josh Kushner perhaps the most influential public vote of confidence available in Los Angeles.
“Laker fans, you couldn’t have two better owners,” Johnson wrote on X. “I’ve known Bob personally for over 40 years — he has always loved the Lakers and basketball and he will bring championships back to LA.”
Johnson’s endorsement carries a personal history rarely attached to an ownership change. He said he has known Iger for more than four decades, a relationship dating to the Showtime era, when Johnson was leading the Lakers and Iger was rising through ABC Sports.
Iger joined ABC in 1974 and spent 12 years advancing through its sports division, eventually becoming vice president of programming. Although ABC did not own the NBA’s national television rights during Johnson’s playing career, their paths intersected as Johnson became the face of basketball and Iger emerged as an influential sports and entertainment executive.
Iger later became president of ABC and eventually chief executive of Walt Disney Co., which owns ESPN and ABC. His long-standing affection for the Lakers was central to Johnson’s prediction that the incoming ownership group would restore the franchise to championship contention.
Magic Johnson Previously Championed Mark Walter
Getty Mark Walter sits courtside during a 118-116 Los Angeles Lakers win over the San Antonio Spurs at Crypto.com Arena on November 05, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Johnson displayed similar enthusiasm in June 2025, when the Buss family agreed to sell its controlling interest in the Lakers to Mark Walter at a $10 billion valuation.
He congratulated Jeanie Buss for choosing Walter, his business partner with the Dodgers, and called him the “best choice” and “best caretaker” of the Lakers brand. Johnson cited the Dodgers’ success under Walter and assured Lakers fans that he would provide the resources necessary to win.
In a subsequent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Johnson predicted that Walter would lead the Lakers for the next 30 or 40 years. Instead, Walter’s tenure lasted less than a year after the NBA unanimously approved his purchase in October 2025.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported Wednesday that Iger and Kushner had agreed to buy the Lakers from Walter for more than $12.5 billion, setting another record for the sale of a professional sports franchise.
The transaction remains subject to approval by the NBA’s Board of Governors.
Walter’s unexpected exit comes amid investigations by federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission involving insurance companies connected to his business empire. Walter has not been charged with wrongdoing, and neither the Lakers nor his other sports franchises has been accused of misconduct. There is no public evidence that the investigations prompted the sale.
Johnson Predicts Lakers Championships Under Iger
Getty TV news correspondent Willow Bay (L) and The Walt Disney Company president and CEO Robert Iger with their children pose at NBA All-Star Saturday night presented by State Farm at Staples Center on February 19, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.
Johnson’s latest message addressed the question confronting Lakers fans after another abrupt transfer of power: Can the new owners return the franchise to the NBA’s summit?
The Lakers have not won a championship since 2020, and their transition into the Luka Dončić era accelerated when LeBron James left for the Philadelphia 76ers. Dončić is now the centerpiece around whom the organization must construct its next contender.
Iger brings decades of experience in global media, branding and live entertainment. Kushner, the founder of Thrive Capital, supplies extensive connections across technology and private investment. The two had explored pursuing an NBA expansion team in Las Vegas before pivoting toward the Lakers.
Johnson has now enthusiastically backed consecutive Lakers ownership groups. His endorsement of Iger, however, is distinctly personal.
For a franchise being sold for the second time in 10 months, Johnson’s message was meant to replace uncertainty with anticipation: The names at the top are changing again, but the championship expectation remains untouched.
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