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In April 2025, TWG Global and Mubadala Capital announced an investment partnership that involved Mubadala Capital investing $10 billion into TWG Global as part of a $15 billion equity raise. Mubadala Capital is the alternative asset branch of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund. TWG Global is a holding company of which Walter is the CEO. TWG Global owns multiple sports assets, such as the Dodgers, Lakers, Sparks (WNBA) and the Professional Women’s Hockey League. A month and a half later, there was an announcement that the Lakers had sold for $10 billion. Let’s do some quick math: TWG Global gets an investment of $10 billion from Abu Dhabi’s wealth fund. A month and a half later, TWG Global buys the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation.
Brian Windhorst: The Lakers were bought with Middle East money. I know that Mark Walter is the governor. I guess Jeanie Buss is the governor, but he is the controlling owner. But that group, Mark Walter's group, took on 10 billion dollars from Abu Dhabi shortly before. I don't work for the company, so I can't verify… But they took on $10 billion from Abu Dhabi and then three months later bought the Lakers for 10 billion. They actually bought it for six billion, but 10 billion valuation. The influx of that Middle Eastern money and the Lakers just swifted all the valuations. So maybe they knew that they could sell the team for 10 billion, but maybe they didn't think they could do that till 2035, but all of a sudden the Lakers are now worth a lot of money.
The NBA and Abu Dhabi's Department of Culture and Tourism announced an extension of their partnership Thursday, with the league agreeing to continue bringing preseason games to the Middle East and the sides completing talks to launch a new global academy in the United Arab Emirates' capital for top boys players. Financial terms were not disclosed, though it's reasonable to expect that the nine-year extension would be worth well over $300 million — based on how the DCT agreed to pay the EuroLeague a reported 25 million euros ($29.2 million) to play host to that league's Final Four last year.
International basketball is on the cusp of a new, richer and expansive era that is aiming to deliver more of the sport to underserved fans and -- perhaps more importantly -- capture vast sovereign wealth fund capital that is seeking a place to invest in the sport. Some legacy leagues are in danger of being left behind. Some new leagues are trying to rise up. The NBA is focused on defending and strengthening its position as the biggest dog. And, despite the scrutiny it might create, that means deepening relations with Abu Dhabi and its wealthy neighbors. "WHEN I CLOSE my eyes, I can see an NBA game being played in front of 22,500 people at the Sphere," Al Mubarak says as he leans back in a chair in a glittering building on the expansive NYU Abu Dhabi campus. He's not talking about Las Vegas. "We will have the world's greatest technology where we can immerse the fans in the experience and they can feel the game on a new level."
Silver, however, is focused on his Middle East partners in Abu Dhabi. How and where all the money might flow and the impact it could have remains to be seen. But what is known is that the connection between the NBA and the Middle East is real, and an expansion of the relationship is coming, and the league is shoring up support with rivals, both seen and unseen, across the region. "We are thinking about the long term, not just the next couple of years," Al Mubarak said. "I believe that this partnership with the NBA will outlive me."
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Stefan Bondy: Malcolm Brogdon's sudden retirement is a shocker. He was going to make the Knicks final roster and said in Abu Dhabi he was expecting to be an impact rotation player. But a career in the NBA took a toll, physically and mentally. And I heard it dawned on him in camp that some of the desire/hunger was lost.
The Pelicans are being “extended every possible luxury in the hope” that the team will “spread the word that Australia is a fitting destination for future NBA games, possibly with clubs featuring Australian stars,” according to Roy Ward of the Melbourne AGE. The NBL is hosting the first-ever NBA games in Australia this week, with the Pelicans facing Melbourne United on Friday and South East Melbourne Phoenix on Sunday. Officials from the NBL, Visit Victoria, the state government, Melbourne Park, the Pelicans and the NBA have been “working together for 18 months to bring the tour to life.” NBL Chief Event and Project Officer Alex Hamilton has “used her experience with tennis’ Australian Open in shaping the offerings to the visiting Pelicans.” Pelicans EVP/Basketball Operations Joe Dumars “praised the care shown to his side.” He said, “Australia has done an excellent job of putting this on for us.” NBL owner Larry Kestelman “admits Australia can’t afford the price tag to bring two NBA teams out, so he set his sights on one team -- and it has worked.” He said it is “public knowledge” that places like Abu Dhabi and others pay $50M for the NBA to “show up with two teams.” Kestelman: “It’s very commercial and Australia is already such a mature market.” However, Kestelman is “hopeful of luring more NBA teams to Australia” (Melbourne AGE, 10/2).
Dimopoulos was told Abu Dhabi had reportedly spent US$50 million on bringing two NBA teams to their shores. Asked if Victoria had spent over or under US$25m for the Pelicans, the minister hinted it was under that amount. “I’m very tempted [to comment] because it is a very good news story, but I’m not gonna say anything other than what I’ve said,” Dimopoulos said. “Which is, everything we put forward in the major events category and spending is absolutely an enormous return on investment, from Beetlejuice the musical to the NBA and the NFL – it’s an extraordinary return.”
Jake Fischer: Restricted free agent guard Quentin Grimes is not on the Sixers’ team flight for preseason games in Abu Dhabi, sources say. Philadelphia has also declined the request from Grimes’ agent, David Bauman, to push back the 10/1 deadline to accept his qualifying offer.
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Shams Charania: I'm told both of these sides (Quentin Grimes and 76ers) are very far apart on a deal. Grimes' agent told me today that today is the first time the Sixers made a formal hard offer to Grimes, the restricted free agent. His agent also told me he would not be doing Sixers Media Day on Friday and will not be traveling with the team this weekend to Abu Dhabi.
The biggest news of the recent hours is that Jonas Valanciunas is expected in Athens to undergo medicals ahead of his possible astonishing move to Panathinaikos. Someone who knows the Lithuanian center very well is Sarunas Jasikevicius, who is also present in the Greek capital for the EuroLeague Head Coaches Board Congress. Interviewed by Nova Sports, the reigning EuroLeague champion spoke about the former Toronto Raptors center likely landing in Europe. “He’ll be in Athens in two hours,” he commented while smiling during the afternoon. “He’s not in Athens yet, but ask Jonas about what happened yesterday. For me, Jonas is very special, and he will always be like this; he’s special. We sat together in Abu Dhabi until late,” Jasikevicius continued.
Brian Windhorst: These guys have a ton of money to spend. In their press release from two months ago, they said they plan to, quote, ‘build up sizable stakes in a range of sports assets’ in the years leading up to this investment. So, they announced the $15 billion raise—with $10 billion from Abu Dhabi—to invest in sports assets. And two months later, they buy the Lakers for $10 billion. I’m just pointing that out.”
