Magic Johnson can’t hide true feelings on why Jeanie Buss sold the Lakers to Mark Walter for $10B in ecstatic message

On Wednesday, Magic Johnson went on social media to share his response to the LA Lakers’ impending $10 billion sale. According to NBA insider Shams Charania, the Buss family has agreed to sell majority ownership to businessman Mark Walter — a move that Johnson is delighted with.

On his official X account, Johnson — who led the Lakers to five championships during their “Showtime” era in the 1980s — praised both Walter and Lakers president Jeanie Buss for agreeing to the deal.

“Job well done to my sister Jeanie Buss for striking an incredible deal and picking the right person to carry on the @Lakers legacy and tradition of winning – Mark Walter, my business partner and friend! Mark Walter is the best choice and will be the best caretaker of the Laker brand,” Johnson tweeted.

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The three-time NBA MVP added: "The proof is in the pudding on what he’s been able to accomplish with the LA Dodgers. Mark has been nothing short of a winner notching 2 World Series and 11 NL West divisional titles in the last 12 years!"

Earvin Magic Johnson

@MagicJohnson

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Job well done to my sister Jeanie Buss for striking an incredible deal and picking the right person to carry on the @Lakers legacy and tradition of winning - Mark Walter, my business partner and friend! Mark Walter is the best choice and will be the best caretaker of the Laker brand. The proof is in the pudding on what he’s been able to accomplish with the LA Dodgers. Mark has been nothing short of a winner notching 2 World Series and 11 NL West divisional titles in the last 12 years!

In a separate Tweet, Johnson said that fans of the Lakers franchise should be "ecstatic" at the brand of leadership that Walter is set to provide in Tinseltown.

Earvin Magic Johnson

@MagicJohnson

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Laker fans should be estatic. A few things I can tell you about Mark - he is driven by winning, excellence, and doing everything the right way. AND he will put in the resources needed to win! I can understand why Jeanie sold the team to Mark Walter because they are just alike - they are competitive people, l have big hearts, love to give back, and both prefer to be behind the scenes. This makes all the sense in the world. I am so so SO happy and excited for @Lakers fans all over the world!!

Buss, it should be recalled, named Johnson the Lakers' president of basketball operations in 2017 after she ousted general manager Mitch Kupchak and her own brother Jim, who was then serving as vice president of basketball operations.

During his two-year stint in this executive position, Johnson helped secure the arrival of LeBron James, who went on to lead the Lakers to an NBA title in 2020.

Magic Johnson pokes fun at longtime rivals amidst news of Lakers' blockbuster sale

Though Johnson's playing days in the NBA are in the distant past, he couldn't resist poking fun at a franchise that he had epic wars with.

After news broke of the Lakers' blockbuster sale, Johnson compared his old team's $10 billion valuation to that of the Boston Celtics, a franchise that was sold earlier this year.

"Just like I thought, when the Celtics sold for $6B, I knew the Lakers were worth $10B!" Johnson tweeted.

Aside from breaking the Celtics' record for largest sports franchise sale in North America, the Lakers' $10 billion deal is also the biggest sale of a sports franchise worldwide.

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About the author

Simoun Victor Redoblado

Simoun Victor Redoblado is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over 12 years of experience writing for publications such as Collider, ALL-STAR Magazine, and Sir Charles in Charge.

Simoun has a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education, Major in English and Minor in journalism. Thanks to the journalism courses that he took, Simoun understood the fundamentals of journalistic storytelling in the context of sports writing.

Passionate for the UP Fighting Maroons, Simoun is a fan of the NBA, PBA, UAAP, and FIBA.
His childhood team was the Chicago Bulls and Simoun was a longtime supporter of the Houston Rockets because his friends would say he looked like Yao Ming.

Simoun loves the systematic, tactical movement of the ball and the players, the stories behind each individual competing on the hardcourt and most of all, how basketball is a sport for life and all its struggles and lessons.

A father of two, Simoun spends his free time with his kids.

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