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Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Magic Johnson: 'Mark Walter is the right person' to take over the Lakers
Magic Johnson, center, and Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter, second from left, pose for a photo with other Guggenheim Baseball Management members Stan Kasten, left, Peter Guber and Todd Boehly, right, at Dodger Stadium after their purchase of the franchise. (Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter, through his TWG Global company, agreed to purchase a majority ownership stake in the Lakers last week and released information about the sale on Wednesday in a statement announcing the deal would be completed later this year. When news broke that Walter would take controlling interest of the Lakers from the Buss family at a valuation of $10 billion, we reached out to Magic Johnson about his thoughts on the matter. Speaking from a yacht off the coast of Croatia, here's what the Lakers legend had to say about Walter, Jeanie Buss and the sale: About Walter's approach 'Mark is a man who cares and loves winning and will always care about investing the money in making not only the team better but the organization better. He's somebody who is family-driven. He's a great man. Advertisement 'You saw what happened to the Dodgers once Mark and all of us took over." On the Buss family selling to Walter 'One thing that Jeanie [Buss] was going to do is put [the franchise] in the right hands. If she was going to sell, it had to be the right person, and Mark Walter is the right person to take over and lead us for the next 30, 40 years. So, this is the best news that could have happened for all Laker fans across the world. Mark has had his eye on the Lakers for a long time. That's why he bought [Philip] Anschutz's [minority ownership] piece first and then he was sitting there, and Jeanie knew this. Read more: Mark Walter, Jeanie Buss comment on Lakers sale expected to close later this year Advertisement "If she ever wanted to sell, he wanted to be the one that bought the team. And they formed a friendship, because that had to happen first. Jeanie had to know that he was going to do just like her father [Dr. Jerry Buss] did and just like she did and that was to make sure that he would do great things in the community as well, like both her father and her have been able to do and also educate him on how much the Lakers mean to not only the Laker fans but to the NBA and to the world." On the sale of the team 'I think the [Buss] boys were ready before. I think they wanted to cash out. We're seeing this happening all around sports. 'Sometimes, let somebody else have it.' We saw Mark Cuban do it. Boston did it. So, you are seeing it happen and maybe they [Buss family] said, 'We just want the money and go on and live out our lives.'" 'Mark loves being a part of Los Angeles and now he's got the premier baseball team and now the premier basketball team." On Walter's success 'The one thing great about Mark is that he'll hire the best people. He will always have really good people around him to help him bring back championships to Los Angeles and to Lakers fans. I'm excited. This couldn't have gone any better for Laker fans and the Buss family and the NBA. The NBA knows Mark. It couldn't have gone better for the Buss family because Mark is a caretaker. You got to be a caretaker, a great caretaker. Advertisement "What did Mark do for the Dodgers? He's been a great caretaker of the brand and of the team. How much money he put into Dodger Stadium. He's always willing to make the big and bold moves to win. But Mark is a visionary. So, he's probably already got a vision for the Laker organization and for the team. So, that's the great thing about him. 'The funny thing is, his personality is just like Jeanie. You won't see him out front a lot, just like now he's not out in front of the Dodgers. So, people need to understand that. That's not his personality. Just like Jeanie's personality. She hasn't been out front." About Jeanie Buss and the sale 'You saw Mark let Jeanie stay on the Board of Governors. That was smart. One thing that is smart about Jeanie is she was never going to say, 'Oh, the Lakers are up for sale! Anybody can own them.' That's not who she is. She wasn't going to put it in anybody's hands. Advertisement 'And I think because of the success of the Dodgers and how he has run the organization, now it's easy for the fans. We already know him. We've seen his work already. We've seen what he's been able to do, led us to a couple of World Series [wins] and going to the World Series four times. That's success right there. That's what Laker fans are looking for. 'He's got a track record. This is what Laker fans would want, somebody that they can trust, just like they trusted Dr. Buss. They trusted Jeanie because of her father saying, 'This is who I want in charge.' So, this is beautiful for all Laker fans." Upon hearing the news 'I'm going crazy too. I was screaming all over this yacht, because I know how great Mark is and how great of a man he is and how smart he is. He's got a big heart.' Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
ICE agents denied access to Dodgers parking lot as team is expected to announce immigrant aid
Federal agents were turned away from Los Angeles Dodgers stadium grounds Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Dodgers released a statement Thursday confirming the situation, and saying that Thursday's game against the San Diego Padres will go on as scheduled. Images circulated of Department of Homeland Security vehicles around the stadium Thursday morning. It was unclear what — if any — operation masked agents were carrying out in the area. Agents did not reveal why they were near the stadium when asked by the Los Angeles Times. Advertisement Sources told the Los Angeles Times that the agents attempted to enter the team parking lot, but were denied entry by the team. The parking lot is not technically owned by the team, but is considered team property. Former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt still owns the team parking lot. He sold the franchise to Guggenheim Baseball Management in 2012. Protestors gathered near Dodger Stadium after seeing images of Department of Homeland Security vehicles near the park. Los Angeles police were reportedly called in by the team to tell protestors to leave. A video that circulated on Bluesky featured a Los Angeles police officer who told protestors, "[DHS officers] can't be here. They are leaving too. [The Dodgers] are kicking [DHS agents] out, they are kicking you out." The incident comes less than 24 hours after a Dodgers spokesperson said team would announce plans to assist local immigrant communities in Los Angeles. The team is expected to make that announcement Thursday. The team has faced pressure from fans to issue a statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have engaged in raids around the city. Numerous protests have been held in Los Angeles in opposition of ICE's presence in the city. Advertisement While the Dodgers resisted making any statement initially, the team found itself in an awkward spot after video emerged of a team employee telling national-anthem performer Nezza that the team wanted her to perform the anthem in English. Nezza sang the song in Spanish in protest of the ICE raids in the city. At least two members of the Dodgers have issued statements about the raids. Utility man Enrique Hernandez and broadcaster — and former player Adrián González — both spoke out against ICE's presence in Los Angeles, with González calling the raids "illegal" and "unconstitutional."
