Businessmen Josh Kushner and Bob Iger are buying the iconic Los Angeles Lakers in a deal valued at 12.5 billion dollars, a figure without precedent in the history of sport. The buyers had initially been working towards launching a new franchise in Las Vegas, yet they changed course in a matter of moments and wrapped up negotiations at remarkable speed. The club's current owner, billionaire Mark Walter, is selling the team for far more than the 10 billion he paid for it. A sharp contrast of interests emerges here. While Walter says his public goodbyes to the franchise, federal prosecutors are investigating his other companies over allegations of tax fraud. The incoming owners are preparing to take charge of a basketball empire, a prospect the team's star Luka Doncic addressed by saying, "Being a Laker means everything to me". The final word rests with the NBA Board of Governors, which will formally approve this historic handover.