Bob Iger might end up being a second banana of sorts with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The former Disney CEO Iger is not expected to serve as the new governor of the Lakers, Charles Gasparino of The California Post reported on Thursday. Gasparino adds that Joshua Kushner is expected to be governor of the team instead and would himself be putting up the at-least 15 percent ownership stake necessary for governorship.
Iger, meanwhile, is expected to be part of a consortium of investors who are buying smaller parts of the team in a deal led by Kushner. However, Iger could still reportedly wield sizable influence with the Lakers, potentially as an alternate governor and/or the leader of the day-to-day management of the team.
You can read Gasparino’s full report on the situation here.
Iger, 75, and Kushner, 41, agreed in principle last month to purchase the controlling stake of the Lakers from embattled outgoing owner Mark Walter at an estimated $12.5 billion valuation. The former was largely expected to be the new leader of the franchise, especially given his history with Disney (the owner of ESPN, which holds a TV rights deal with the NBA) and his close relationship with commissioner Adam Silver and other key NBA figures.
Instead however, Kushner will likely be the central figure of the franchise’s new ownership group. Additionally, the Lakers still have to sort out the messy situation with the Buss family minority owners (which we recently learned Iger’s feelings about).
