Adam Silver admits Mark Walter’s quick Lakers sale caught him by surprise

NBA commissioner Adam Silver wasn’t particularly stunned by the Lakers’ latest $12.5 billion valuation. He was more surprised that Mark Walter was selling them at all.

Silver addressed the stunningly quick ownership turnaround Thursday at Puck’s In The Arena conference, according to Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic⁠.

“My initial surprise went less to price and more that there was a reason to even sell the Lakers,” Silver said. “Obviously, I had a newspaper understanding of what Mark Walter was dealing with but I did not know that at this moment in time he was about to sell the team.” 

That tracks with what Silver said last month⁠. The commissioner acknowledged then that he had no advance indication Walter planned to sell until the prospective buyers informed him they had reached a handshake agreement. 

Walter purchased control of the Lakers from the Buss family at a roughly $10 billion valuation in 2025. Just 14 months later, Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner agreed to buy the franchise at a $12.5 billion valuation. 

The proposed sale has unfolded amid considerable scrutiny surrounding Walter. A class-action lawsuit filed last month⁠ references the Lakers sale, although the franchise is not a defendant and has not been accused of wrongdoing. Walter also has reportedly faced a federal investigation involving his broader business interests. 

So apparently even the NBA commissioner looked at the Lakers changing hands again and wondered what the rest of us did.