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The league collection includes NBA and MLB sports teams from L.A. (Dodgers and Lakers), Chicago (Bulls, Cubs and White Sox) and New York (Mets and Knicks), offering Mitchell & Ness Jerseys, hoodies, t-shires and hats repping the teams and Blackpink.
The long-awaited design for the Los Angeles Dodgers' Kobe Bryant bobblehead night was unveiled Thursday. The Los Angeles Lakers legend's figurine is in a batting stance and sporting a gold No. 24 Lakers jersey. The bobblehead appears to have been inspired by a photo of the five-time NBA champion during Lakers media day in 2009. Bryant is also wearing the Zoom Kobe 6 Protro "Dodgers" sneaker, which was officially released in May.
Bryant's bobblehead will be given away to the first 40,000 ticketed fans of the Dodgers' home matchup against the Toronto Blue Jays on Aug. 8 -- aka 8/8, doubling down on the number Bryant wore during the first half of his 20-year NBA career.
Dodgers just unveiled the Kobe Bryant bobblehead design. Giveaway is Aug. 8. pic.twitter.com/paVfwZ47PW
— Matthew Moreno (@Matthew__Moreno) July 10, 2025
Let’s start with the Lakers, who were sold for a whopping $10 billion valuation to Dodgers owner/Lakers minority owner Mark Walterers recently but will still be run by longtime owner Jeanie Buss for quite some time to come. Per a team source, Buss’ agreement with Walter and the NBA stipulates that she’ll remain the team’s governor for at least the next five seasons. Laker fans should be estatic. A few things I can tell you about Mark – he is driven by winning, excellence, and doing everything the right way. AND he will put in the resources needed to win! I can understand why Jeanie sold the team to Mark Walter because they are just alike -…
Magic Johnson: “You saw Mark let Jeanie stay on the Board of Governors. That was smart. One thing that is smart about Jeanie is she was never going to say, ‘Oh, the Lakers are up for sale! Anybody can own them.’ That’s not who she is. She wasn’t going to put it in anybody’s hands. “And I think because of the success of the Dodgers and how he has run the organization, now it’s easy for the fans. We already know him. We’ve seen his work already. We’ve seen what he’s been able to do, led us to a couple of World Series [wins] and going to the World Series four times. That’s success right there. That’s what Laker fans are looking for. “He’s got a track record. This is what Laker fans would want, somebody that they can trust, just like they trusted Dr. Buss. They trusted Jeanie because of her father saying, ‘This is who I want in charge.’ So, this is beautiful for all Laker fans.”
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Could that future — one broadcast channel and one streaming app for the Dodgers and Lakers — become reality now that Mark Walter, the controlling owner of the Dodgers, is the new controlling owner of the Lakers? Walter hasn’t yet talked publicly about the Lakers deal, so we floated the idea by sports business insiders. The Lakers are on Spectrum SportsNet. The Dodgers are on SportsNet LA. Who owns those channels? Charter Communications, the parent company of Spectrum, owns SportsNet. The Dodgers, through an affiliated company, own SportsNet LA, although Charter operates it and pays the team a rights fee every year, just as it does with the Lakers.
Could Walter buy out Charter and put the Dodgers and Lakers on the same channel? In theory, yes. Charter probably would give him the Lakers’ channel for free. In reality? That appears unlikely any time soon. Walter didn’t get to be a billionaire by turning down half a billion dollars every year.
A source close to Luka Doncic said that Walter's deep pockets, combined with his results with the Dodgers, makes L.A. that much more appealing for the 26-year-old superstar. .... While LeBron James' decision is still pending, a source close to James suggested that Walter could be a valuable resource for James as he pursues his post-playing career goal of one day owning an NBA franchise, too.
Walter, if his time running the Los Angeles Dodgers is any indication, may be the apotheosis of this model, even if it will have to wait. He will not take over immediately after the sale is final. The Buss family trust, which currently owns a little more than 60 percent of the franchise, will still own 18 percent when the deal goes through, according to a source briefed on the sale, and Jeanie Buss will continue to serve as the team’s governor. That matter has been written into the agreement, the source said.
“I think you may see a lot of Dodger tie-in at Crypto as the [Dodger and Laker] seasons only have two small windows of overlap in spring and fall,” a source said. “Let’s see what Walter does with players and team staff ... and does he create synergy between the Dodgers and Lakers.” A top executive from another NBA team said, “I think there is no way to put a price tag on the contribution that Jeanie Buss, her father and family have made to the NBA.”
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Magic Johnson: I know that my sister Jeanie would have only considered selling the Lakers organization to someone she knows and trusts would carry on the Buss legacy, started by her father Dr. Buss. Now she can comfortably pass the baton to Mark Walter, with whom she has a real friendship and can trust. She’s witnessed him build a winning team with the Dodgers and knows that Mark will do right by the Lakers team, organization, and fans! Both are extremely intelligent, visionaries, great leaders, and have positively impacted the greater Los Angeles community! I love both my sister @JeanieBuss and my business partner Mark Walter.
Ramona Shelburne: Walter earned the first right of refusal if the Buss family ever decided to sell their 66 percent stake when he purchased Phil Anschutz’ 26 percent stake in 2021. In other words, this has been positioned to go this way. There are a lot of ties between the Lakers and Dodgers already.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has tabbed NBA legend Magic Johnson, Dodgers chairman Mark Walter and 2028 Olympics organizer Casey Wasserman to lead a new effort to support wildfire recovery and rebuilding efforts in Los Angeles. The philanthropic organization, called LA Rises, includes other business leaders and elected officials as the city looks to rebuild after the fires ravaged communities and killed at least 29 people.
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