It was a surprise in 2025 when Mark Walter became the majority owner of the Lakers. It was an utter shock when, less than a year later, he flipped them for profit by selling them to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for $12.5 billion.

While both will own the Lakers, Khobi Price and Matt Ehalt of the California Post report that Iger will be the more actively involved one.

This means Iger is the owner fans should get acquainted with.

Luckily, in his previous role as Disney CEO, he talked plenty. Iger did countless interviews, podcast appearances, and even wrote a book titled “The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company.”

Through this research, I learned what he values in leadership and why, even at his age, he’s ready for this new challenge.

What does Iger think makes a great leader?

Not only has Iger spoken about leadership before, but he did so with Lakers head coach JJ Redick in 2021 on his podcast “The Old Man and the Three.”

“How am I telling people what to do? Am I soliciting their opinion, and when I do, am I communicating in a very authentic way that I really want to hear it? Because it’s easy, [to say] ‘tell me what you think,’ but deep down you’re just dismissing it because you’re overconfident in your own instincts.”

When Iger officially becomes owner of the Lakers, practicing what he preaches will make or break this franchise. There are a ton of positions he’ll have to collaborate with, including, but not limited to, President of Business Operations, President of Basketball Operations, and the players and coaches, of course.

Learning what he can from the people already here who have been involved with the Lakers and sports their entire lives, while also injecting his ideas and vision, will be an equation Iger must balance to get the Lakers back to glory.

What kind of owner will Iger be?

Don’t expect Iger to be a passive owner. He’s a person who takes bold risks to improve things. His time at Disney exemplified this.

In Iger’s book, “The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company,” he reflected on the problems Disney animation was having and how acquiring Pixar and their top people could be the solution.

“They [Edwin Catmull, co-founder, John Lasseter, chief creative officer] could continue to run Pixar while simultaneously revitalizing Disney Animation.”

They did just that, and Iger views the acquisition of Pixar as his proudest decision as Disney CEO.

He didn’t fully get the comic book world, but Iger understood Marvel’s value. Thanks to his forward-thinking approach, Disney acquired Marvel and helped turn it into the multi-billion-dollar empire it is today.

When traditional media was dying, Iger helped launch Disney Plus and modernize how people consume content. Not only were all the legacy movie titles available, but he also launched brand-new television shows and shifted from a focus on old revenue practices to streaming numbers as part of the assessment of success.

Thanks to these decisions and a willingness to pivot and take chances, Disney grew exponentially under Iger’s leadership, while other companies that rested on their legacies got acquired or died.

The Lakers will change a ton during the years Iger is in charge. How is unknown, but based on his track record, Iger will take chances and be future-thinking.

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LOS ANGELES - The Sparks have every reason to give up on this season. They are already eliminated from playoff contention and have secured another losing year.

With front-office pressure on head coach Lynne Roberts to play the reserves more and a pair of first-round picks in hand for the upcoming draft, losing to the Mystics on Friday night might not only have been alluring but a desired result.

Instead of lying down and dying, the Sparks fought back from a 17-point deficit to beat the Mystics 88-82.

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Today I’m launching my Substack, titled Courtside. This is a new home for my basketball coverage. You’ll still see me at Swish Appeal and other outlets as I continue to freelance, but I’m excited to have an editorial space to call my own.

With Courtside being all me, I get to create this brand’s identity. So here is my commitment to you:

I’m here to cover basketball at the highest level possible.

This will not be a place for news slop or aggregation without education.

Instead, this will be a home for in-depth features, exclusive interviews, and basketball analysis.

Since I live in Los Angeles, most of my writing will focus on covering the Lakers and Sparks.

During the season, readers can expect:

• Detailed feature after every game

• Weekly in-depth piece on a relevant topic

• Practice coverage

• Newsworthy injury reports

There will also be plenty of articles that dive deep into topics that impact the NBA and WNBA: from straight-up basketball to the business happening around both leagues.

You can also expect some NBA Draft coverage. Last year, I began watching a bunch of men’s college basketball and was locked into the players entering the draft. This is how I spotted Cameron Carr as a player the Lakers should select, and they did exactly that.

Last season, that work didn’t have a home. I watched film and jotted down notes for myself, but now it can live here on Courtside.

Whenever I create, it’s done with passion, dedication, and heart.

If that appeals to you, then come on, let’s go Courtside.