The Los Angeles Lakers’ record-setting sale gave Joe Lacob a fresh estimate of what the Golden State Warriors might command on the open market.
It did not give him any interest in finding out.
Lacob dismissed the idea of selling the Warriors after Josh Kushner and Bob Iger agreed to purchase Mark Walter’s controlling Lakers stake at a $12.5 billion valuation. The deal, announced Wednesday, established a record for a U.S. professional sports franchise.
“No,” Lacob said when Tim Kawakami asked on The TK Show whether the price made him consider a sale. “It doesn’t really change anything with respect to me. This is my life, and I enjoy doing it and can’t imagine making a change.”
Forbes valued the Warriors at an NBA-high $11 billion in October 2025. Unlike an estimate, however, the Lakers’ price reflects what buyers have agreed to pay. That makes the transaction a potentially lucrative new benchmark for Golden State and its investors.
Lacob acknowledged as much.
“Maybe my limited partners are certainly very happy,” he said.
Lakers Deal Raises Warriors’ Potential Value
Getty Mark Walters 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.
Lacob and Peter Guber led a group that purchased the Warriors for $450 million in 2010, a price that was viewed as aggressive at the time.
What followed transformed both the basketball team and the business.
Led by Stephen Curry, Golden State won four NBA championships in eight years and became a global brand. The organization also privately financed Chase Center, which opened in San Francisco in 2019 and generated revenue beyond basketball through concerts, restaurants and surrounding development.
Those assets have helped the Warriors sit atop recent NBA valuations. The Lakers’ $12.5 billion agreement now suggests Golden State could be worth more than its latest estimate, particularly because the Warriors own and operate their arena.
Lacob’s response made the practical value of that number almost beside the point. He still views the Warriors as his life’s work, not an asset being prepared for sale.
Joe Lacob Questions Timing of Lakers Sale
Getty Golden State Warriors co-owners Joe Lacob (L) and Peter Guber talk during the Warriors game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Oracle Arena on March 27, 2012 in Oakland, California.
What surprised Lacob was not merely the price. It was Walter’s willingness to sell so soon after taking control.
Walter’s purchase of the Buss family’s controlling interest closed in October 2025 at a $10 billion valuation. Less than 10 months later, he accepted an offer worth $2.5 billion more.
“I’m shocked,” Lacob said. “Who wouldn’t be?”
He emphasized that he had no inside information and was reacting shortly after the news broke. Still, the speed of the turnaround left him skeptical that the valuation told the entire story.
“This isn’t like flipping a house,” Lacob said. “There must be more to it than that.”
Later reporting supplied potential context. Walter’s TWG Global has been seeking capital to help pay down loans held by insurance companies under Justice Department scrutiny, Bloomberg reported. The Lakers sale is expected to accelerate that effort.
Walter has not been charged, and the Lakers are not accused of wrongdoing. The reporting also does not establish that the investigation forced him to sell.
For Golden State, the immediate implications are more straightforward. The Warriors have a new valuation benchmark; their minority owners have reason to celebrate, but Lacob has no intention of cashing out.
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