Out: Jeanie Buss In: Mark Walter!

[LkrFan]

No, Walter doesn't have deep pockets like Ballmer, but, he is a multi-billionaire, unlike Jeanie. Walter is part of Guggenheim Partners. This investment firm was founded by Peter Lawson-Johnston (a Guggenheim descendant) and Mark Walter, currently manages over $335–$349 billion in assets as of 2025.

Walter now owns the Dodgers and at least 71% of the Lakers (I believe Jeanie now owns like 15%). She's gonna be Marc Cuban'd for sure.

Not saying this will guarantee championships (just in case the LkrFan curse is real :cry), but the Lakers are going to level the playing field. Since Walter became majority owner of the Dodgers, they have been aggressive as hell acquiring talent. Capped off by World Series victories in 2020 and 2024.

I expect the same level of aggressive behavior with the Lakers. Case in point, if Walter was the owner in 2020, the Lakers don't break up that team. Caruso would still be a Laker. Russ never dons the purple and gold armor. Etc.

We still gotta deal with this pathetic CBA, but at least the Lakers won't shy away from making moves because our millionaire mom and pop majority owner penny pinching. Now we got a billionaire ownership group that are aggressive as hell. And I couldn't be happier. :toast

[LkrFan]

My immediate wishlist:

1) Fire Kurtis Blowhard Rambis and his wife. WTF was Jeanie thinking, giving them any say so in decision making? What a dumb blond. SMH

2) Fire Rob Pelinka. His "mamba mentality" as Kobe's agent causes many league execs to not like his punkass. The Lakers tax is worse with him in the front office.

3) Beef up the Lakers staff. Too many people do the job of 2-3 people.

4) Hire a better medical staff, like what they are doing in Phoenix.

5) Fire their play by play announcers and hire Kevin Harlan. If the Knicks can have Breen we should be able to have Harlan.

[LkrFan]

1935673341072871600
The Don is happy because he knows Walter will put pieces around him. :)

[LkrFan]

6) Steal Presti from the Thunder :lol

[LkrFan]

Good discussion from Pete and Darius
1935596719707934768

[LkrFan]

1935454454897094856

Yup :lol

[LkrFan]

When Wemby get tired of losing in a few years...:lol

[ambchang]

My immediate wishlist:

1) Fire Kurtis Blowhard Rambis and his wife. WTF was Jeanie thinking, giving them any say so in decision making? What a dumb blond. SMH

2) Fire Rob Pelinka. His "mamba mentality" as Kobe's agent causes many league execs to not like his punkass. The Lakers tax is worse with him in the front office.

3) Beef up the Lakers staff. Too many people do the job of 2-3 people.

4) Hire a better medical staff, like what they are doing in Phoenix.

5) Fire their play by play announcers and hire Kevin Harlan. If the Knicks can have Breen we should be able to have Harlan.

Are you f’ing retarded?

[LkrFan]

Are you f’ing retarded?

Don't be obtuse. Teams have conspired against the Lakers for many decades, including your Spurs. Otherwise, Kawhi is a Laker to this day.

There's many other examples. Don't come in this Lakers thread with your BS.

[LkrFan]

1935713228816044151
Interesting...

[LkrFan]

1935534146472001916

Majority stake ownership is worth $10B. Dayum. :lol

[LkrFan]

Now the Greek Freak gotta say the magic words :lol

[FrostKing]

> "Meyer Guggenheim, a Swiss citizen of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, arrived in the United States in 1847"

[ambchang]

Don't be obtuse. Teams have conspired against the Lakers for many decades, including your Spurs. Otherwise, Kawhi is a Laker to this day.

There's many other examples. Don't come in this Lakers thread with your BS.

You are retarded. No single team in nba history have signed close to as many big name agents or lopsided trades as the lakers. It’s. It even close.

[LkrFan]

You are retarded. No single team in nba history have signed close to as many big name agents or lopsided trades as the lakers. It’s. It even close.

That's besides the point, chink. That doesn't mean other players like KG, CP0, Kyrie, etc., should not have been Lakers too. Little dick small market owners conspired against the Lakers to stop it.

Now stop with your BS before I find out your ISP and give your address to ICE agents. :lol

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

Hola? La Migra? Es Juancho!!

[Raven]

selling high

[LkrFan]

Hola? La Migra? Es Juancho!!

:lol

[LkrFan]

1935737881491853342

[LkrFan]

1935745820084912289
:)

[LkrFan]

1935747097971642772
:wow

[LkrFan]

selling high

What do you mean?

[LkrFan]

1935777833248264200

Me likey. :tu

[Tyronn Lue]

Must mean Lebron is set to retire.

[LkrFan]

1935499731238793648

Jeanie making this sale is the 2nd biggest transaction in Lakers history behind only the accomplishments of the Logo as a player and an Executive.

[LkrFan]

Must mean Lebron is set to retire.

I doubt it. ;)

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

Another day another luck the fakers

[ambchang]

That's besides the point, chink. That doesn't mean other players like KG, CP0, Kyrie, etc., should not have been Lakers too. Little dick small market owners conspired against the Lakers to stop it.

Now stop with your BS before I find out your ISP and give your address to ICE agents. :lol

:lol Laker tax is not all the biggest name went there? What the hell type of logic is that? Why don’t you go and actually learn about the history of the league, moron.

[Robz4000]

This group is as sketchy as they come tbh. That being said, don't think the NBA will fold to their whims the same as the MLB has.

[FrostKing]

Lakers are lil brother in the City of Angeles?

[LkrFan]

This group is as sketchy as they come tbh. That being said, don't think the NBA will fold to their whims the same as the MLB has.

Do tell. :wow

[Robz4000]

Do tell. :wow

:lol all you need to do is look at the Doyers tbh. They're gonna trade all these players on deferred contracts long before the bill comes due.

[lefty]

Congrats to the new owners foe their first ownership of a sports team

[Robz4000]

Congrats to the new owners foe their first ownership of a sports team

Need to get your uncle wojtek to do his magic on the KD trade tbh.

[Dod01]

That's besides the point, chink. That doesn't mean other players like KG, CP0, Kyrie, etc., should not have been Lakers too. Little dick small market owners conspired against the Lakers to stop it.

Now stop with your BS before I find out your ISP and give your address to ICE agents. :lol

Chris Paul was pretty darn close to being a Laker, but in my opinion, I've always thought David Stern finally realized that he had pushed his luck way too far at that point (Heat-Mavs rigging, Lakeshow-rigging etc., draft and trade rigs., etc). So, he decided to do the right thing and not gift LA another superstar for pennies on the dollar.

Was that, 100%, the reason he vetoed the trade? Maybe, maybe not, but it's definitely possible. His Jiminy Cricket could've been eating at him by that point, with all the shady stuff he did in the past to keep the ratings and profits up for the NBA. Honestly, I was very surprised he vetoed that trade for LA. It's just not like David Stern to do something like that to cockblock the Lakers.

[Dod01]

You are retarded. No single team in nba history have signed close to as many big name agents or lopsided trades as the lakers. It’s. It even close.

It's. Not. Even. Close.

[LkrFan]

Chris Paul was pretty darn close to being a Laker, but in my opinion, I've always thought David Stern finally realized that he had pushed his luck way too far at that point (Heat-Mavs rigging, Lakeshow-rigging etc., draft and trade rigs., etc). So, he decided to do the right thing and not gift LA another superstar for pennies on the dollar.

Was that, 100%, the reason he vetoed the trade? Maybe, maybe not, but it's definitely possible. His Jiminy Cricket could've been eating at him by that point, with all the shady stuff he did in the past to keep the ratings and profits up for the NBA. Honestly, I was very surprised he vetoed that trade for LA. It's just not like David Stern to do something like that to cockblock the Lakers.

You classh:lolles are something else. The Lakers executed a perfectly legal trade. Then the Mavs and Cavs complained because the Lakers would have not only gotten CP0, Dwert was coming next AND most importantly, the Lakers would have avoided luxury taxes. Cuban wanted that Laker handout real bad, I guess.

Just curious...which superstars were gifted to the Lakers? Did it happen in a trade? How bout free agency? Do tell. :downspin:

[LkrFan]

It's. Not. Even. Close.

170 posts. Who's burner account is this? Mono? Clipper Nation? DPG? Who? :lol

[LkrFan]

Need to get your uncle wojtek to do his magic on the KD trade tbh.

Vassell, Keldon, and Castle for KD works. Do it RC! :lol

[Dod01]

You classh:lolles are something else. The Lakers executed a perfectly legal trade. Then the Mavs and Cavs complained because the Lakers would have not only gotten CP0, Dwert was coming next AND most importantly, the Lakers would have avoided luxury taxes. Cuban wanted that Laker handout real bad, I guess.

Just curious...which superstars were gifted to the Lakers? Did it happen in a trade? How bout free agency? Do tell. :downspin:


170 posts. Who's burner account is this? Mono? Clipper Nation? DPG? Who? :lol:lol

[Dod01]

https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-the-lakers-fleeced-teams-to-acquire-wilt-chamberlain-and-kareem-abdul-jabbar-how-the-trades-for-both-legends-were-so-lopsided-against-the-bucks-and-sixers/

“The Lakers fleeced teams to acquire Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul Jabbar”: How the trades for both legends were so lopsided against the Bucks and Sixers’

[Dod01]

:lol Get the number 1 pick/Magic Johnson after going 47-35

:lol Get the number 1 pick/James Worthy after going 57-25 and winning the NBA Finals

(I understand this was Pre-Stern)

To be fair, I think it's possible that the shleague helped us to get Wemby (Gotta maintain objectivity).

Still comes nowhere near close to how many rations and helpings for LA. :lol

[Dod01]

170 posts. Who's burner account is this? Mono? Clipper Nation? DPG? Who? :lol

Nothing against Laker fans here, I just do not like the Lakers, lol.

[LkrFan]

Nothing against Laker fans here, I just do not like the Lakers, lol.

That's fair. Lemme give you another reason. Look who hanging out with the Kang:
1936478509582459087
When he gets tired of losing and force his way to LA >>. :downspin:

:lol

[FrostKing]

That's fair. Lemme give you another reason. Look who hanging out with the Kang:
1936478509582459087
When he gets tired of losing and force his way to LA >>. :downspin:

:lol
You have to admit Dodgers are your LA Daddy

[Dod01]

That's fair. Lemme give you another reason. Look who hanging out with the Kang:
1936478509582459087
When he gets tired of losing and force his way to LA >>. :downspin:

:lol

What I'm afraid of. Lakers steal another star, lol.

[FrostKing]

Dodgers had the best team in MLB for 15 seasons and got clapped by Boston, Houston & Atlanta

Deferred payments is their new angle. And it worked last season. Historic franchise resorting to new lows.

They didn't develop any of their good players. Bought. Acquired.

[LkrFan]

You have to admit Dodgers are your LA Daddy

Actually, Abu Dhabi tbh:
1935719098219925558
Lakers now have deep pockets, like everybody else. Soon, we'll (yes we) have competent basketball operations and front office.

Reports are out there that the Lakers have 56 total staff members. That's pathetic. By comparison, the Knicks have over 90. But Jeanie was running the Lakers as a mom-n-pop shop while all other teams enjoyed support from billionaire ownership groups, even the small market teams.

This sale of the Lakers to an ownership group that won't spare expenses to put a winner on the court is music to my ears.

Get ready to grab your ankles and bite your bottom lip NBA. :lol

[LkrFan]

Dodgers had the best team in MLB for 15 seasons and got clapped by Boston, Houston & Atlanta

Deferred payments is their new angle. And it worked last season. Historic franchise resorting to new lows.

They didn't develop any of their good players. Bought. Acquired.

Sounds like hopium on your part. :lol

[LkrFan]

What I'm afraid of. Lakers steal another star, lol.

:lol

[LkrFan]

This group is as sketchy as they come tbh. That being said, don't think the NBA will fold to their whims the same as the MLB has.

Are you sure? There are teams who perennially duck lux taxes and mismanage star players.

That Kwame Brown trade for MVPau happened. The Luka trade happened.

History tells us this will happen again.

This time, the Lakers will have a competent front office and the financial resources to pounce on the rampant inept poverty franchises out there.

:)

[LkrFan]

https://thesportsrush.com/nba-news-the-lakers-fleeced-teams-to-acquire-wilt-chamberlain-and-kareem-abdul-jabbar-how-the-trades-for-both-legends-were-so-lopsided-against-the-bucks-and-sixers/

“The Lakers fleeced teams to acquire Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul Jabbar”: How the trades for both legends were so lopsided against the Bucks and Sixers’

Let's not forget about the fleecing that led to getting the #1 pick that led to drafting Magic. :lol

[LkrFan]

:lol Get the number 1 pick/Magic Johnson after going 47-35

:lol Get the number 1 pick/James Worthy after going 57-25 and winning the NBA Finals

(I understand this was Pre-Stern)

To be fair, I think it's possible that the shleague helped us to get Wemby (Gotta maintain objectivity).

Still comes nowhere near close to how many rations and helpings for LA. :lol

I missed this post. Thanks for acknowledging how the Logo got Magic.

Almost as good as getting #1 pick in 1997, despite having David Robinson on your roster. :downspin:

[lefty]

Do Spurs fans only hate the Shaq/Kobe Pau/Kobe Lakers or do they also hate the Showtime Lakers?

[LkrFan]

Do Spurs fans only hate the Shaq/Kobe Pau/Kobe Lakers or do they also hate the Showtime Lakers?

I'm guessing any Kobe related Lakers teams. :lol

[LkrFan]

1937195193104478441

[Brazil]

Do Spurs fans only hate the Shaq/Kobe Pau/Kobe Lakers or do they also hate the Showtime Lakers?

I hate Los Angeles in Los Angeles Lakers nothing but love for Mineapolis tho

[LkrFan]

https://youtu.be/lnYYOqRYTW8?si=Yo-AEE6koHinlXGj

[Dod01]

Do Spurs fans only hate the Shaq/Kobe Pau/Kobe Lakers or do they also hate the Showtime Lakers?

For me, it's just the Lakers in general, lol

[Dod01]

I missed this post. Thanks for acknowledging how the Logo got Magic.

Almost as good as getting #1 pick in 1997, despite having David Robinson on your roster. :downspin:

Lol 20-62 vs 45-37

[Dod01]

I'm guessing any Kobe related Lakers teams. :lol

Hated him on the court, but I respected him alot more AFTER his retirement. Dude was very intelligent, imo.

[The Gemini Method]

Will be interesting to see what Guggenheim will do with a hard cap as opposed to the non-cap in the MLB. Deeper pockets will help the franchise, but 10 billion for a team w/o their own arena is a lotta scratch.

[ambchang]

Are you sure? There are teams who perennially duck lux taxes and mismanage star players.

That Kwame Brown trade for MVPau happened. The Luka trade happened.

History tells us this will happen again.

This time, the Lakers will have a competent front office and the financial resources to pounce on the rampant inept poverty franchises out there.

:)

:cry but the Laker tax :cry

[ambchang]

Hated him on the court, but I respected him alot more AFTER his retirement. Dude was very intelligent, imo.

Greatest self promoter in nba history. Tmac talent with don Kings marketing sense.

[LkrFan]

Will be interesting to see what Guggenheim will do with a hard cap as opposed to the non-cap in the MLB. Deeper pockets will help the franchise, but 10 billion for a team w/o their own arena is a lotta scratch.

I'm thinking they gonna eventually buy Staples tbh. Makes too much sense.

[The Gemini Method]

I'm thinking they gonna eventually buy Staples tbh. Makes too much sense.

Buy out AEG's stake in the Kings and he won't have to.

[Dod01]

Greatest self promoter in nba history. Tmac talent with don Kings marketing sense.:lol

[LkrFan]

1937949129830732208
Dr. Dray makes good points. :tu

[LkrFan]

1st draft completed since the Lakers were sold. Lakers went into the draft with the 55th overall pick. Used cash to move to 45th, then to 36th.

Without using draft capital, they moved up 19 spots in the draft and nabbed 6'8 Adou Thiero.

Lakers had him as a 1st round talent. He slid because he shoots 3s like Shaq would. :lol

But I'm excited. Lakers will no doubt beef up their basketball operations and have the financial wherewithal to make moves like this, now that we have an ownership group that doesn't pennypinch.
1938655771555758272
I like his high motor, insane athleticism, and his aggressiveness. Lakers gotta invest in their player development staff, to help him reach his potential.

Now we wait for Rob Pelinka to go get us a center or two. Clint Capela, c'mon down! :cry

[LkrFan]

1938654491584467427

[RC_Drunkford]

1939873252299473330

[LkrFan]

1939873252299473330

:lol

[Splits]

What I'm afraid of. Lakers steal another star, lol.

Deandre "I can't make today's game because it snowed" Ayton

lol lakers

[Splits]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6463929/2025/06/30/deandre-ayton-portlant-trail-blazers-free-agency/


Blazers couldn’t abide Deandre Ayton’s ‘bad ways.’ Will former No. 1 pick find a fit?
PORTLAND, Ore. — Inside the office of Chauncey Billups, in bold letters, reads a saying the Portland coach holds dear, an adage that he wants to be at the root of the Trail Blazers’ rebuild.

“You can have bad plays,’’ the maxim reads, “but not bad ways.”

The quote is from Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, whom Billups played for in Detroit and now considers a mentor. It’s a quote that goes a long way in explaining why the Trail Blazers parted ways with center Deandre Ayton, whom they waived after negotiating a contract buyout, this week.

See, the Blazers could live with Ayton missing shots or his man scoring on him. They could even live with him being limited by injuries to 55 and 40 games in his two seasons in Portland.

But in the end, they couldn’t live with his bad ways. The tardiness to team flights and practices, according to a team source. The skipping of rehabilitation appointments. Fans saw him slam chairs when he was taken out of games. And a team source said there were tantrums in the locker room when he was sidelined for poor effort.

And for as much as the Blazers tried to compliment Ayton for being supportive of 2024 lottery pick Donovan Clingan, doesn’t it speak volumes that they are paying him millions to stay away from their young centers — Clingan and 2025 first-round pick Yang Hansen? It’s not like Portland is averse to paying someone $35 million to mentor; they just traded for veteran Jrue Holiday, who has even more remaining money remaining on his contract, for what is presumably a mentorship-type role with point guard Scoot Henderson.

Portland joins Phoenix as teams that have calculated that Ayton’s baggage isn’t worth his talent. And this week, as Ayton enters the free-agent market, there will likely be a third team that convinces itself it can either change, or live with, the Ayton experience. He has some undeniable assets. He’s 7-feet. He has silky touch from mid-range. When his right knee isn’t throbbing from tendonitis, he can beat most centers up and down the court. And he’s a lob threat around the rim.

But the former No. 1 overall pick suffers from a critical flaw: He has little self-awareness.

In his first news conference in Portland, he referred to himself as “Domin-Ayton.” During the 95 times he played in Portland, he was maybe dominant in a handful of games. He once said he has nothing to prove because “I’m a max (contract) player and I’ll continue to be a max player.” But in both Phoenix and Portland, he chaffed his coaches with inconsistent effort. In Game 7 of the 2022 Western Conference semifinals, Suns coach Monty Williams benched him in the second half, prompting a heated argument. In a December game against Utah in Portland, Billups called a timeout two minutes into the second half and benched Ayton for the rest of the game.

After the 141-99 loss to the Jazz, in which Ayton was minus-29 in his 17 minutes, Billups said, “I didn’t like his spirit in the game.”

When the Blazers traded for Ayton, not everyone in the organization was on board. Some questioned his maturity. When Ayton arrived, he envisioned himself as the cornerstone, the big fish, and he acted like it. He was carefree and loud, often blurting out songs or offhand comments in the locker room. While some reporters laughed, there were times when veterans at their lockers rolled their eyes.

Around the corner from the locker room is Billups’ office. That quote from Brown is positioned on the wall so it’s the first thing you see when you walk through the door. Billups never worried about Ayton, because he felt he could coach him up and instill some work ethic, humility and professionalism into Ayton. Throughout Billups’ Hall of Fame playing career, he had tamed other colorful and/or loose cannons. Chris Anderson and JR Smith in Denver. Rasheed Wallace in Detroit.

But now, as the Blazers’ rebuild is starting to show signs of promise, it is clear the organization believed Billups couldn’t change Ayton. So Portland did what so many teams are reluctant to do: They admitted a mistake and cut ties.

Habits in the NBA are formed when players are young, and with the Blazers’ impressionable core of Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, Shaedon Sharpe, Scoot Henderson, along with the young centers Clingan and Yang, a standard needs to be set. A good starting point is an understanding that they can have bad plays, but not bad ways.

[Splits]

https://www.basketballnetwork.net/latest-news/deandre-aytons-video-game-obsession-will-cost-him-a-lot-on-and-off-the-court


DeAndre Ayton’s video game obsession will cost him a lot, on and off the court
Players turn to different hobbies outside the NBA court to get their minds off basketball. It’s not surprising that many of them turn to video games, particularly the younger generations. But it’s alarming how a starting center of a league-leading team in the regular season chooses to sleep less in favor of his addiction to video games. A lot less.

Karl-Anthony Towns, Gordon Hayward, Paul George, and Joel Embiid are some of the most avid fans of video games among NBA players today. Some of them are so addicted they brought consoles into the bubble. But when it comes to NBA2K, one player reigns supreme: Phoenix Suns center DeAndre Ayton. He’s the only NBA player to reach Legend status, a distinction reserved for gamers who reached Level 40 for four seasons. But as they say, anything excessive in nature has its pitfalls.

Lack of sleep is a common hurdle among NBA players. Due to the pressure, constant traveling, and other distractions, some find it hard to get enough sleep after games. DeAndre is different; he shuns sleep to play video games. He reportedly spends three to four hours playing, which reduces his sleeping time to two hours on some nights.

“It’s so hard for me to sleep after long games, especially big, long games. I don’t know why, but I occupy my time with the game. I connect with some of my people. I got brothers in the UK. I got family in Jamaica and the Bahamas. During that game, we talk our smack. Whoever we just beat up on, we talk about it and laugh about it. I ain’t going to bed until 4 or 5 a.m. That’s how serious it gets.” explained Ayton.

Ayton was due for an extension, and this habit is probably part of the reason the Phoenix Suns were not keen on giving him a multi-year deal. He played poorly in Game 7 against the Dallas Mavericks, and regardless of which side you listened to, the relationship is obviously strained. In the end, the Suns matched his qualifying offer, but it remains to be seen is the relationship between the player and the organization beyond repair

Yes, he could dish out stellar performances, but how could he convince the media or fans that in games where he played poorly, his lack of sleep connected to excessive video game playing wasn’t at fault? The message Ayton is sending here is clear: his priority is his video games, or else, he would have taken his sleep more seriously. A foggy brain might result in a lapse of judgment during pivotal moments in the game.

Players have the right to take their minds off the game and relax in any way they want to. Some play golf, go bowling, or smoke marijuana. But one thing is clear; DeAndre Ayton might not suffer from limited sleeping minutes now, but later in his career, it could haunt him. He would then realize that sleep is a necessity and not a luxury every athlete could afford to waste.

[Splits]

1939526956908687829

[Dod01]

Deandre "I can't make today's game because it snowed" Ayton

lol lakers

Lol

[LkrFan]

Deandre "I can't make today's game because it snowed" Ayton

lol lakers

It doesn't snow in LA numbnuts :lol

[LkrFan]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6463929/2025/06/30/deandre-ayton-portlant-trail-blazers-free-agency/

Mavs slandered Luka too. Big deal. Hopefully Bucks fans slanders Greek Freak too. ;)

[Jeremy]

Y’all got an absolute steal with DA!

[LkrFan]

Y’all got an absolute steal with DA!

I'm cautiously optimistic tbh. He has the talent. That LA spotlight hits different. Not every player excels when they play for the most scrutinized team in the NBA.

Props to him for running to the smoke that's gonna come for him as a Laker. I like this quote about the criticism he gets, from his intro presser:

"It fuels me. It fuels me up completely. And it's a different type of drive that I've been wanting to express for a long time. I think this is the perfect timing, here in the purple and gold. And it's a platform I cannot run from."

We'll see what he's made of soon enough. I'll be rooting for the young man. :tu

[Tyronn Lue]

I'm more excited to see how well that group in Dallas plays this year. I think the Texas teams are the ones to watch this upcoming season.

[Allan Rowe vs Wade]

Lebron will have his hands full getting Luka and Ayton both to give a rats ass about basketball

if he succeeds it will be on par with Jordan taming rodman

[LkrFan]

1944969277208953289

Inevitable. :bobo

[LkrFan]

1951683182933270735
Suck it MFFL :toast