Joshua Kushner just bought the Lakers for $12.5 billion. Here's what you need to know

The Los Angeles Lakers just sold for a record-breaking $12.5 billion. And yeah, it's weird.

Mark Walter, the guy who's been running the franchise, announced the sale Wednesday. Most people had no idea it was coming. But the real story? It's way messier than a simple ownership change.

Walter's got problems. Federal investigators are poking around his various business ventures, which probably factored into why he decided to step back from the Lakers. The timing's interesting, to say the least.

Enter Joshua Kushner, the new owner. He's connected to the Trump family—yeah, that Trump family—which immediately made this deal more complicated than your average sports franchise purchase. He's also the guy who tried to buy into FIFA not long ago, which turned into an absolute international mess. That whole situation blew up in his face, but apparently it didn't stop him from swinging for something bigger.

The $12.5 billion price tag is the largest amount ever paid for a sports team. Like, ever. It's almost unfathomable. For context, that's more than you'll see most billionaires spend on anything in their lifetime. But for a franchise with the Lakers' history and market value in Los Angeles? It somehow makes sense.

So here's where we are: a franchise legendary for championships and Hollywood glamour just changed hands in a deal that's wrapped up in federal investigations, Trump-adjacent money, and failed FIFA drama. The basketball stays the same. Everything else? Total upheaval.