LOS ANGELES -- After the sports world got over the initial surprise of Wednesday's news that Mark Walter had sold the Los Angeles Lakers, many wondered whether Walter's MLB franchise -- the Dodgers -- might also be impacted by the sale. Dodgers president Stan Kasten said that will not be the case.
"This is a Lakers story, it’s not really a Dodgers story," Kasten said on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium. "It really has nothing to do with the Dodgers. They’re completely separate. So there are no changes here, or [being] contemplated here."
Walter purchased majority ownership in the Lakers for $10 billion in July 2025, and the sale was approved by the NBA Board of Governors in October of that year. Less than a year later, Walter agreed to sell the franchise to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner for a reported record $12.5 billion.
"I was shocked like I think everyone else was," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "That’s above all our pay grades. I know that he was excited to take on the Lakers so, yeah, I was surprised there."
Walter is the controlling partner of Guggenheim Baseball Management, which has owned the Dodgers since 2012. Walter is currently under federal and SEC investigation for potential loan fraud related to his other business ventures.
Kasten said the ongoing investigations are not expected to impact how the Dodgers operate.
“I have no reason to think that," Kasten said. "And I will tell you, that has nothing to do with the Dodgers either. We haven’t even been consulted on that. So I really have no concerns about that at all.”