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

Joshua Kushner is the founder of Thrive Capital and he has backed well-known startups such as Instagram, Stripe and OpenAI. He co-founded Oscar Health and has served as vice chair of its board. While his career began in venture capital and health technology, he has broadened into sports investing since 2026 when a permanent capital vehicle called Thrive Eternal was launched to invest in teams.

On August 12, 2026, Kushner and former Disney chief Bob Iger agreed to buy the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal valued at about $12.5 billion. The price is higher than the roughly $10 billion valuation from last year when Mark Walter bought a majority stake. The agreement has been reported by major news outlets, and the move was described as a major expansion of Kushner's investments.

Although the full sale still needs league approval, the transaction shows how technology investors are joining traditional sports ownership. Therefore many observers say the business of basketball is changing, and sports teams are now major financial assets as well. Furthermore, Kushner's background in health insurance and technology may influence how the team uses data and media rights.