Happy Thursday everyone.

In case you missed it, the Lakers just sold for $10 billion dollars.

That’s more than I make in a year!

It’s also more than any pro sports franchise has ever sold for. In hindsight, the Celtics going for $6 billion earlier this year looks like a bargain.

Here’s the thing: the Buss family isn’t just selling a team. They’re selling arguably the greatest show in sports.

Hollywood. Showtime. Winning Time.

The question isn’t will they keep winning (they’ll have even deeper pockets now). The question is: will it still feel like the Lakers?

What Are We Really Losing? 💛

What Jerry built, and Jeanie sustained, wasn’t just a franchise or a family business…it was a full blown cultural institution. A luxury entertainment product. A curated experience.

I say this because curated sports experiences like the Lakers are exceedingly rare.

They’re part sports, part spectacle, part sacred.

When done right, they remind us what it feels to belong to a city, to a team, to a moment.

The risk? That the Lakers become just another line item in a billionaire’s spreadsheet—less a living, breathing legacy, and more a quarterly earnings strategy. I’m not saying it’s a guarantee, and Mark Walter has proven his merit with the Dodgers, but this is another huge domino to fall in the world of private equity sports.

I read an ESPN article with the quote: "This is a good move," one league source who has frequent interactions with the franchise said. "The Lakers can finally be run like a real business."

Real business sounds great, but ask Dallas fans how their new business-minded ownership group is doing. The Mavs literally alienated their entire fanbase by shipping Luka, ironically, to the Lakers.

The business needs to still have soul, empathy, character, flair, and an understanding that the team is way more than revenue. It’s often the heartbeat of a community.

So, time will tell how the Lakers, and professional sports more broadly, will evolve in the world of private equity groups and hedge fund owners.

Sports is big business - but it’s even bigger emotions, identity, and belonging.

This will be a fascinating case study in what happens when scale meets soul.

Weekly Roundup 🏒

Fanatics Fest: Speaking of soul meets scale, everyone’s favorite sports brand to hate: Fanatics is hosting their blowout event of the year in NYC this weekend. HERE are all the exclusive merch and collectibles drops you can only get there.

Hockey: Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov had his hand GLUED TOGETHER after his palm split open in Game 1

Tiny Desk: What if Biggie performed an NPR Tiny Desk concert? AI is getting crazier by the minute, y’all.

Summer Soundtrack 😎

Have we talked about “soul” enough today?

How about some more in our music, featuring a groovy track from DON WEST and some funky Italo Disco for your next spritz 🍹.

RP WEEKLY!!!!