Lakers Employees Send Telling Message About Bob Iger, Josh Kushner Takeover

The Los Angeles Lakers may be getting some promising signs from the team's employees under the new ownership.

Oct 29, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Disney chief executive officer Bob Iger in attendance as the Los Angeles Clippers play against the San Antonio Spurs during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

The NBA offseason has been quite a rollercoaster ride for the Los Angeles Lakers, with the storied franchise undergoing drastic changes, including LeBron James leaving the team, a massive roster overhaul, and the sale of the team for the second time in a little over a year.

As if the beginning of the post-LeBron James era and several new players set to suit up alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves wasn’t drastic enough this summer, another regime change has led to a lot of unanswered questions about the immediate future in Los Angeles.

With Mark Walter at the helm, the vision was clear: the team was full steam ahead, following the Los Angeles Dodgers’ blueprint for success. But now, uncertainty looms as new team owners Bob Iger and Josh Kushner call the shots.

Lakers Employees Optimistic About Franchise’s Direction Under New Ownership

Despite the drastic turn of events following another regime change, Lakers employees appear optimistic about the team’s direction, according to Dan Woike of The Athletic.

Multiple sources in different departments expressed optimism about the direction of the franchise under Iger and Kushner. 

Apparently, the Dodgers-inspired direction under Walter didn’t exactly get rave reviews, as many felt it was overly reliant on analytics and had a tone that was rubbing employees the wrong way.

Some felt the Dodgers’ impact on the Lakers was pushing too hard toward analytics and doing so with an arrogance that turned off some people in basketball operations and the locker room. Those people weren’t upset to see a pathway for new management to come in, even if it’s a bit of a mystery and doesn’t have the track record of the Dodgers’ success.

As of right now, there’s no telling where this franchise will be headed under this new regime. 

Mar 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) receives his World Series ring from team owner Mark Walter prior to the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At least with Walter and company, there was a track record of success in professional sports, with the Dodgers being the cream of the crop in MLB.

Shakeups and changes of direction are always going to ruffle feathers, and the Walter-led Lakers seem to have done that, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have led to more banners being lifted in the rafters at Crypto.com Arena.

Now that’s in the past, with Iger and Kushner yet to set the tone of this new era in Los Angeles with superstar Luka Doncic leading the way.

Brutal Prediction Surfaces for Lakers’ 2026-27 Campaign

Basketball - NBA - Los Angeles Lakers visit to Ljubljana - Ljubljana, Slovenia - August 23, 2026 Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic poses for a photo with teammates on the court where he played growing up in Ljubljana REUTERS/Borut Zivulovic | REUTERS

According to ESPN’s summer forecast for the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season, the Lakers are expected to be the most disappointing team in the league.

Even though that’s a harsh prediction, Doncic winning another scoring title was also predicted while finishing third in the NBA MVP voting behind Nikola Jokic and Victor Wembanyama.

The odds are clearly against the Lakers after a summer of drastic change, but that could be a good thing, as there will be no lack of motivation for this new-look squad with a superstar who no doubt has a chip on his shoulder.

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