Bob Iger has not yet been approved as one of the Los Angeles Lakers’ new owners, but he has already started learning about the people who will shape what comes next.
Iger has made contact with Lakers governor Jeanie Buss and coach JJ Redick since he and Josh Kushner agreed to purchase Mark Walter’s controlling interest in the franchise at a record $12.5 billion valuation, according to the California Post’s Melissa Rohlin.
His next conversation will be the most important one.
Luka Dončić plans to meet with Iger and Kushner through a video conference next week while the Lakers star is in Slovenia, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. Dončić is preparing to host his teammates for an offseason minicamp in his home country.
Dončić was not consulted before Walter reached the agreement, ESPN reported. That is hardly surprising considering the deal came together in three days, but it places some importance on the first conversation between the franchise cornerstone and the prospective owners.
“Being a Laker means everything to me,” Dončić wrote after news of the sale broke. “I look forward to meeting Josh and Bob so we can get to work building something special in LA together.”
Bob Iger Reaches Out to Jeanie Buss, JJ Redick
Getty Prospective Lakers owner and former Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger attends the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 9, 2026, in Sun Valley, Idaho. Iger has addressed Jeanie Buss’ future and potential organizational changes following the Lakers’ pending sale.
Iger’s contact with Buss is an early signal that he intends to honor the leadership arrangement Walter inherited when he purchased control of the Lakers from the Buss family.
Buss was guaranteed the right to remain Lakers governor for at least five years after Walter’s purchase closed in October 2025. Iger told the California Post’s Khobi Price that he and Kushner have “every intention” of honoring that agreement.
“We have enormous respect and appreciation for Jeanie, her father and what they’ve contributed to this franchise,” Iger said.
The conversation with Redick carries a different familiarity. Iger has known the Lakers coach since Redick played for the LA Clippers, when the longtime Disney executive regularly sat courtside at Clippers games.
Redick, now entering his third season as Lakers coach, provides a direct line into the basketball operation Iger and Kushner are inheriting. Iger has said they have not made plans for organizational changes and considers it premature to discuss any.
For now, the meetings appear more about listening than restructuring.
Luka Dončić Sits at Center of Lakers’ New Era
Dončić has endured a remarkable run of upheaval. The Dallas Mavericks changed owners before trading him to Los Angeles in February 2025. The Lakers have since passed from the Buss family to Walter and now, pending NBA approval, to Iger and Kushner.
LeBron James’ departure for the Philadelphia 76ers this summer removed any uncertainty about whose team this has become.
Dončić signed a three-year, $165 million extension with the Lakers in August 2025. The agreement includes a player option for 2028, giving the new ownership group a clear window to prove it can build a championship roster around him.
The introductions with Buss and Redick allow Iger to understand the structure already in place. The meeting with Dončić will allow him to hear what the Lakers’ defining player expects from the people buying the franchise.
A $12.5 billion agreement can transfer control of the Lakers. Earning Dončić’s trust—and turning that investment into another championship—will require considerably more time.
Bob Iger Makes First Lakers Moves Ahead of Crucial Luka Dončić Meeting