BusinessAugust 13, 2026

Joshua Kushner and the Lakers: Who He Is and What Happened

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Key Vocabulary

venture capitalist/ˈvɛn.tʃər ˌkæp.ɪ.təl.ɪst/

A person who invests money in new companies

"He works as a venture capitalist."

investor/ɪnˈvɛs.tər/

A person who puts money into a business to make more money

"The investor bought shares."

franchise/ˈfræn.tʃaɪz/

A business or team that is part of a larger organization

"The Lakers are a famous sports franchise."

Listening

Joshua Kushner and the Lakers: Who He Is and What Happened

Joshua Kushner is a venture capitalist who started the investment firm Thrive Capital. He co-founded Oscar Health and he is vice chair of its board. Thrive has backed startups such as Instagram, Stripe and OpenAI. Oscar Health is a health insurance company.

On August 12, 2026, Kushner and Bob Iger agreed to buy the Los Angeles Lakers. The deal was for about $12.5 billion. Many news outlets reported the agreement and said the price was higher than the previous sale. The purchase makes Kushner a major owner of a famous sports franchise. Many people reacted quickly. Reporters wrote about the sale.

101 words

Quiz

1. Who is Joshua Kushner?

2. When did Kushner and Bob Iger agree to buy the Lakers?

3. How much was the deal worth?

Reading Practice

Read the article from the Listening section aloud. Your AI teacher will give you pronunciation feedback.

Discussion

Do you follow any sports teams? Why do you like them?

Have you ever read news about business people buying a team? What did you think?

What do you think matters more for a team, money or tradition?