NBA Commissioner Says No Red Flags on Mark Walter Before Lakers Purchase
Adam Silver stated that the league conducted its standard vetting process for Mark Walter, who was already a minority owner, and found no issues prior to his acquisition of the Lakers.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated that the league found no "red flags" during its vetting process of Mark Walter before he became the majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers. Walter, who had been a minority owner since 2021, agreed to purchase the majority stake from the Buss family in June 2025 for a valuation of $10 billion.
Silver detailed the league's thorough process during his post Board of Governors news conference. "We went through the full process we all do," Silver said. "We spoke to governmental agencies. We spoke to, in the case of Mark Walter, a heavily regulated insurance agency. We spoke to other leagues in which he has investments. We found no red flags."
This assurance comes amid reports that the FBI seized Walter's phone and computer in September 2025, as federal prosecutors launched a broad investigation into the financial dealings of his businesses. Despite this, Walter's ownership of the Lakers was officially approved in October 2025.
Walter's tenure as majority owner was relatively short. In August 2026, he sold the majority ownership back to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a reported $12.5 billion. Silver noted that he learned of this sale from the buyers after they had reached an agreement with Walter, and that the league was not investigating Walter prior to his decision to sell.
Walter's holding company, TWG Global, has released a statement defending his business practices and denying any wrongdoing in the face of the ongoing investigations. Silver emphasized that any current issues are "allegations" and that the league's review of Walter had found no cause for concern at the time of his purchase of the Lakers.