From a fan’s perspective

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Boy, that was quick

The news broke quickly while I was preparing this edition of Off the Dribble. My Lakers have been sold again, I’m unsure of the time without checking the date but that’s not critical. Mark Walter who also owns the baseball Dodgers reportedly paid $10 billion to the Buss family to purchase the Lakers a little over a year ago. Walter has now sold his interest in the team to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a described $12 billion purchase so Walter made a cool $2.5 billion in a short space of time. It’s being reported the partners were focused on an expansion franchise for Las Vegas but made the pivot when the Lakers ownership became available.

Only the seller and buyers are familiar with all the particulars but a closer look might uncover a basis for the sale. Former owner Walter is facing regulatory and federal scrutiny over his business and insurance operations. The Lakers under the Buss family have been among the lengthiest ownership group in the NBA’s history. Now they will have three owners (Buss, Walter & Kushner/Iger) in the last two years, which is quite a departure for this very stable team. As for the new owners if the name Bob Iger sounds familiar it probably should to several reading this. Iger once served as CEO of the Walt Disney company on two occasions.

Meanwhile….

We are not there yet, i.e., NBA training camp. I’m unsure of the number however the Lakers have a new team waiting for fans in Crypto.com this season. Based on that fact along Luka Dončić in an attempt to bond and create harmony this is what he proposes. He’s invited the entire Laker roster including the two-way players to his native Slovenia for a “Meet n Greet.” And guess what, Luka is doing this on his dime, It’s my understanding roster members including two-way players have accepted the invitation. The only no show has an excuse, rookie Cameron Carr will be attending mandatory NBA instruction.

Chaos reigns supreme in college basketball, some are aware of a recent ruling that is difficult to explain in a few sentences. The quick story a judge ruled a handful of college basketball players will be allowed an additional year of play. One of those is Mark Mitchell who played at Mizzou, with this ruling there was talk of him returning for year five but there is a problem. Mizzou’s roster is full, a roster member must be red-shirted to allow Mitchell play. I am always in the athletes corner until a ruling of this type, college sports desperately needs a commissioner stat.

For many readers, this may be an introduction to Wu Jiahao, a Chinese basketball prospect. He might not reach the NBA, but as I wrote recently, China has not produced a successful NBA player since Yao Ming’s breakthrough back in 2002. Some reports suggest the gap is partly tied to training methods in China, and Jiahao could certainly help change that. The 6-foot-9 prospect will head to Spain next year to play in Liga ACB’s U22 league, making him a potential test case for whether Chinese players can develop their games internationally and possibly earn playing time in the NBA.

Sometimes it’s difficult

Are we end the NBA off-season, sometimes it is difficult to believe based on a steady stream of news. On Wednesday mid-day it was announced Russell Westbrook would not play in 2026-27. He is retiring from the NBA after an 18-year career. In 2008 the Seattle Sonics made him the 4th overall pick that year, he never wore a Sonics jersey, the team moved to OKC and were rebranded as the Thunder. It was OKC where he first began his triple-double game despite standing only 6-foot 4. In 2019 Westbrook was traded to the Rockets and from that point on his suitcase was always ready at the door. It was the Rockets then the Wizards and later the Lakers. In succession it became the Clippers, Nuggets and Kings and the Kings would be his last team.