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Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner have some big decisions to make.
They’re now the proud owners of one of the most heralded teams in sports, the 17-time champion Los Angeles Lakers, whom they bought from Mark Walter for $12.5 billion on Wednesday morning.
It’s unclear what their plan is yet, but here’s some advice for the new leaders of the darling franchise of the NBA.
1. Surround yourself with experienced people whom you trust
While Walter had the blueprint on how to turn a franchise into a success after helping the Dodgers win three World Series titles after purchasing the team in 2012, Iger and Kushner lack that playbook.
Iger is the former CEO of Disney. Kushner is a venture capitalist. They need help. They need trusted advisors.
It remains to be seen whether they can build that trust with Lakers’ president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka, who overhauled the Lakers’ roster this summer around Luka Doncic. ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith floated the idea of pursuing Bob Myers, who helped the Warriors become the league’s modern-day dynasty before becoming the president of sports for Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment.
Iger and Kushner need to figure out who they respect and trust, and they need to heavily rely on that person, regardless of whether they make a change or keep the status quo.
2. Make Luka Doncic happy
The last 18 months have been disorienting for Doncic. He was shockingly traded to the Lakers in February 2025, and has already experienced two ownership changes with his new franchise.
The 27-year-old superstar, who finished fourth in MVP voting last season, deserves a bit of stability, eh?
Doncic is highly motivated to win his first championship after being dealt by the Mavericks, with whom he thought he’d spend his entire career. He had a major say in the personnel changes this summer. And he needs to feel as though the Lakers have a clear direction and a plan to put him on a course to win a title.
It’s now Iger’s and Kushner’s job to make that happen ahead of Doncic’s player option for the 2028-29 season.
3. Keep JJ Redick
Redick is the ultimate basketball sicko. He’s obsessed. After losses, he has acknowledged that he goes into a dark basement and rewatches games ad nauseam.
The players like him. And he’s the first coach to have back-to-back 50-win seasons since Phil Jackson did so in 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.
The Lakers hired Redick in 2024 even though he didn’t have any prior professional coaching experience. He has since proven that he has an elite combination of a high basketball IQ and the ability to get through to players. That’s a rare find.
4. Honor Walter’s arrangement with Jeanie Buss
After Walter bought the Lakers from the Buss family following their 47-year run as the head of the franchise, he assured Buss that she’d remain governor for at least five years.
Apparently, that deal will remain in place.
“We have every intention to honor the agreement that was made between Mark and Jeanie,” Iger told the California Post’s Khobi Price. “If things change, they’ll change. But we’re going into this with enormous respect and appreciation for who she is and what she represents in the organization.”
There’s an eyebrow-raising caveat there.
But make no mistake: Iger would be wise to keep Buss on board. She is Laker basketball. She watched her father transform the franchise into one of the most successful and fun organizations in sports. She then took the reins and helped the team win a title in 2020. She has relationships. Institutional knowledge. Experience. She’s beloved by fans. Keep her.
5. Go after Magic Johnson
The Lakers need to infuse an organization that has only won one championship in the last 16 years with some of its old magic.
Who better to do that than Magic himself?
If they brought him on as an advisor, they could seamlessly help bridge the old and new orders.
Johnson previously served as the Lakers’ president of basketball operations before stunningly stepping down in April 2019 because of a front-office culture he deemed toxic. Johnson and Pelinka have since mended fences.
Johnson won five championships with the Lakers. He could play an important role in helping steer the Lakers, as well as helping teach Doncic how to climb the mountaintop.
6. Keep building out the data and analytics departments
Walter and Co. had overhauled the Lakers’ front office and were strongly emphasizing the need to improve their data and analytics departments so they could make the sharpest decisions in the draft and free agency.
He did the same in baseball to splendid success.
Iger and Kushner should forge ahead on that path.
The Lakers needed to modernize. Under Walter, the Lakers were building a biomechanics lab, new movement labs and a recovery lab.
The Lakers’ new owners should make sure the team has all of the resources on and off the court to return to greatness.
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