The seismic news of the Los Angeles Lakers’ $12.5 billion sale overshadows a big pivot by the new owners, placing one of the media’s ultimate heavyweights at the helm of an iconic basketball brand. Former Disney CEO Bob Iger and venture capitalist Josh Kushner acquired the franchise from Mark Walter. The sudden transition has immediately brought Iger’s unique sports allegiances into the spotlight.

With his longstanding friendships with certain NBA stars, this deal completely upends traditional Hollywood loyalties as the franchise charts a new era alongside cornerstone star Luka Doncic. Lakers’ longtime insider, Jovan Buha, revealed the central angle of this historic front-office takeover focuses on Iger’s deep-rooted, public ties to the Lakers’ crosstown rivals. Iger was once a staple of the Los Angeles Clippers games, rooting against the Purple & Gold. Buha detailed the fascinating reality behind the new face of franchise ownership.

“Iger is the former Disney CEO from 2005 to 2020 and then again from 2022 to 2026. My former boss, for what that’s worth. And he’s one of the most notable power brokers in media and entertainment. And so he’s going to be the face of this operation. He’s going to be the face of the ownership group, at least for the time being or the new ownership group,” Buha, who previously worked for the Disney-owned ESPN, explained.

Buha’s description shows why the “former Clippers fan” label matters: the same media powerhouse who once rooted for the Clippers is now the public face of the Lakers, making his old allegiances newly relevant to Luka Doncic’s supporting cast.

Since he’s known Iger from their overlapping tenures, he also knows why buying the Lakers is dramatically uncharacteristic of the former Disney shotcaller.

“But Iger is the face of the operation. Of note, he is a former Clippers season ticket holder, a former Clippers fan. There’s actually a clip going around that he was on JJ Redick’s former podcast, The Old Man and the Three, talking about moving to LA from New York, being a Knicks fan, and that he couldn’t quite embrace the Lakers because he was a Knicks fan, and there was too much between those two teams, those two franchises.

“So, he decided to become a Clippers fan, very close with Chris Paul as well. So Iger steps in as one of the most powerful people in media, and he is going to be the face of the group.”

Iger’s own words and history as a former Clippers fan and close friend of Chris Paul now position Paul as a natural link to mentor Luka Doncic, Lakers’ cornerstone and superstar under the new ownership.

His personal relationships with Clippers’ Lob City pillars, Chris Paul and JJ Redick are back in the spotlight when the Lakers sale resurfaced his clip from JJ Redick’s old podcast.

Iger and Kushner had previously bid for the Las Vegas expansion team but pivoted to the Lakers. The arrival of the new ownership group coincides with a completely rebuilt team following LeBron James’s departure.

ESPN’s Dave McMenamin shared vital context on NBA Today: Iger’s arrival aligns with JJ Redick’s contract extension as head coach with the Lakers.

While McMenamin said, “I think JJ Redick’s probably in a really good spot here,” Ramona Shelburne hinted that Iger has an arsenal of legendary mentors for Luka Doncic.

“There are a couple of names you should pay attention to: Chris Paul, a very close friend of Bob Iger’s,” Shelburne revealed. “He’s sort of a mentor to Chris Paul. Chris recently retired. He’s available, incredible basketball mind. I don’t know what that means for him, but I expect they’ll be talking.”

So Iger could orchestrate a mini Lob City reunion in the Lakers to mentor Doncic and Austin Reaves. Let’s see how that works out. For now, Iger and Kushner confirmed they’re comfortable leaving the reins to Jeanie Buss.