Overview
- A Wall Street Journal review published Friday found investor materials from Joshua Kushner’s Thrive Capital showing a base-case valuation of at least $30 billion for the Lakers within ten years and an upside scenario to $62 billion.
- The presentation projects revenue rising from about $681 million in 2026 to more than $1.6 billion by 2037 and claims roughly $150 million in incremental revenue by 2028 from ticketing, sponsorships and cost cuts.
- Thrive’s playbook centers on reclaiming broker-held season tickets, shifting to team-controlled dynamic pricing and raising the average single-game price from about $217 to roughly $361 to capture resale revenue directly.
- The $12.5 billion sale to a group led by Josh Kushner and Bob Iger remains subject to NBA approval and a legal challenge by Jeanie Buss seeking to block the sale of the Buss family trust’s 17.82% stake, creating timing and governance uncertainty.
- If realized, the plan would raise fan costs and reshape the resale market while hinging on a risky assumption that NBA national TV and streaming rights will grow substantially in the next rights cycle, a major upside and a key vulnerability.