OXNARD, Calif. — Jerry Jones didn’t need much time to sum up his reaction to the $12.5 billion price attached to the Los Angeles Lakers.
“That’s impressive,” Jones said Thursday.
The Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager was asked about the agreement for Bob Iger and Josh Kushner to buy the Lakers from Mark Walter. Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News posted Jones’ remarks from Oxnard.
Jones quickly went to the history behind the franchise and the Buss family’s place in it.
“I have an appreciation for their legacy and the value that is there,” Jones said. “That Buss family is remarkable… And his lineage, his daughter, his family have done such a great job.”
Then came the part that seemed to interest Jones just as much as the final number: what somebody is willing to pay for a sports team now.
“But still, I have to stop a minute and see some of, if you will, the values that are involved here, because it is a recognition in total of sports’ ability to influence people in their decisions,” Jones said. “Whether it’s to buy a soft drink, whether it’s to buy a Miller, whether it’s to buy a Ford. That’s what we do as a sport.”
Lakers Deal Reaches $12.5 Billion
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported the agreement Wednesday. Iger and Kushner are set to buy the Lakers for $12.5 billion, pending approval from the NBA Board of Governors.
Walter took control only 14 months ago. That deal valued the Lakers at $10 billion.
The Los Angeles Dodgers stay with Walter. The Los Angeles Sparks are not part of this deal, either. The Buss family is expected to keep 15% of the Lakers.
Jerry Buss paid $67.5 million in 1979 for a package that included the Lakers, the Los Angeles Kings and the Forum. When he died in 2013, his six children inherited the team. The Buss family remained in control until Walter’s purchase last year.
That history was part of Jones’ answer Thursday.
Cowboys Are At $15.5 Billion
The Lakers weren’t the only franchise with a massive number attached to it this week. Sportico’s new NFL valuations have Dallas at $15.5 billion. A year ago, the Cowboys were at $12.8 billion.
No other NFL team reached that number. The Los Angeles Rams were next at $12.7 billion. Then came the New York Giants at $12 billion, the New England Patriots at $10.4 billion and the New York Jets at $10.35 billion.
Add all 32 teams together and Sportico’s valuations come to $299 billion.
The Cowboys also generated $1.3 billion in revenue over the past year. Among sports teams worldwide, only Real Madrid brought in more.
Sportico’s $15.5 billion estimate is not just a price on the roster and football operation. Businesses connected to the Cowboys and ownership’s real estate holdings are included, with The Star in Frisco among them.
From $140 Million To $15.5 Billion
Jones’ own purchase came at a very different price.
He bought the Cowboys and Texas Stadium for $140 million in 1989. The Cowboys accounted for $65 million of it, with the stadium making up the other $75 million.
Even the more recent numbers show how quickly things have changed. Dallas was worth an estimated $7.64 billion in Sportico’s 2022 rankings. It went to $9.2 billion the next year, then to $10.32 billion in 2024, and to $12.8 billion in 2025.
Now it is $15.5 billion.
Dallas has been first in Sportico’s NFL rankings for seven years in a row.
The last few seasons haven’t gone nearly as well on the field. The Cowboys haven’t played in an NFC Championship Game since the 1995 season, when they went on to beat Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XXX.
Dallas went 7-9-1 last year and missed the playoffs again.
The Cowboys have a few more days left in Oxnard before camp wraps up Aug. 18. Their first preseason game is Saturday night in Seattle, with kickoff against the Seattle Seahawks at 7 p.m. CT.
Dallas will be back on the road for Week 1. The Cowboys visit the New York Giants on Sept. 13 at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
