Kushner, Iger Agree to Buy Lakers in $12.5B Deal

In the ongoing convergence of capital, culture, and commerce, the Los Angeles Lakers have passed into new hands — Josh Kushner and Bob Iger agreeing to purchase the franchise for $12.5 billion, a sum that would have seemed fantastical not long ago. The deal unites a venture capitalist's eye for emerging markets with a media titan's mastery of storytelling and distribution, at a moment when professional sports franchises have become among the most coveted assets in the global economy. More than a transaction, it is a signal: that the business of basketball, and the Lakers in particular, is seen