Bob Iger, the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, is facing renewed attention for past comments about his NBA team allegiances after his involvement in the recent acquisition of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Video from a 2021 appearance on "The Old Man and The Three" podcast has resurfaced, in which Iger discusses his reasons for supporting the Los Angeles Clippers over the Lakers. He explained that upon moving to Los Angeles in 2000, he sought an NBA team to follow. Due to his childhood allegiance to the New York Knicks, who were rivals with the Lakers, Iger stated that supporting the Lakers "was not in my DNA."
Instead, he chose to become a Clippers fan, noting at the time that their seats were also more affordable than those of the Lakers. Iger, who has a net worth of $600 million, could have afforded premium seating for either team.
Iger and Josh Kushner recently purchased a majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers from Mark Walter for $12.5 billion, marking the second change in majority ownership for the franchise in 14 months. With this new ownership role, it is anticipated that Iger's fandom may shift, or at least be re-evaluated, to align with his investment in the Lakers.