Remember when Steve Ballmer bought the L.A. Clippers for $2 billion and everyone lost their minds?
Eleven years later, stay in town multiply it by five.
Minority owner Mark Walter has purchased a majority stake in the L.A. Lakers at a valuation of $10 billion. That’s a record for any American sports franchise.
The late Dr. Jerry Buss bought the team in 1979 for $67.5 million.
The Buss family had owned 66 percent of the team. Jeannie Buss reportedly plans to continue to continue to serve as the team’s governor, which will give her the power to vote on league matters at NBA ownership meetings.
Earlier this year, the Boston Celtics sold at a valuation of $6.1 billion. Last month, a minority stake in the 49ers was sold at a valuation of $8.6 billion.
It’s safe to say that controlling interest in any NFL team would generate a valuation of more than $10 billion. Some teams (like the Cowboys) would approach or exceed $15 billion.
The fact that the Lakers were sold at a $10 billion valuation will only make that more likely.
The Chargers tweaked their roster on Tuesday.
They announced that they have signed offensive tackle Elijah Ellis to their 90-man roster. Offensive lineman Tyler McLellan was waived in a corresponding move.
Ellis transferred to Marshall from Baylor for the 2024 season and started 13 games at left tackle in his final college season. He appeared in nine games over three years before making the decision to transfer.
McLellan signed with the Chargers last year, but spent the entire season on injured reserve.
The Chargers are holding their final organized team activities of the spring this week. They held their mandatory minicamp last week.
The Chargers are adding a new look for the 2025 season.
The team announced on Tuesday that they will unveil new alternate uniforms on July 15. They released a teaser video to accompany the announcement, but revealed no details about what their new look will be.
“We’ve always considered ourselves to be leaders in the uniform space,” Chargers president of business operations A.G. Spanos said in a statement. “We take pride in the fact that the Chargers are widely considered to have the best uniforms in the NFL; some even argue in all of sports,” Spanos added. “One of the main reasons for that is our continued push to evolve, authentically, with every opportunity. That’s what this is about.”
The Chargers’ current primary uniform features a white helmet with either a powder blue or white jersey. Current alternates include navy and royal blue uniforms with helmet decals to match.
Chargers fifth-round pick Oronde Gadsden II is the son of a former NFL player, but his father wasn’t used as a point of comparison by Chargers tight ends coach Andy Bischoff on Monday.
Gadsden transitioned from wide receiver to tight end while he was at Syracuse and capped his college days with an All-ACC season. Gadsden posted 73 catches for 934 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024 and his receiving talent led Bischoff to compare the rookie to a player he coached during stints with the Ravens and Giants.
“I know it’s a huge, huge forecast, but I was fortunate to coach Darren Waller and Darren Waller was a receiver in college,” Bischoff said in a press conference. “We turned him into a tight end. He’s got some of those traits. It’s way early. Way early, but he’s twitchy. He separates, he does some really good things in the pass game. I think as he’s become more comfortable in our system in the last four or five days, I think people are beginning to see that.”
Gadsden’s blocking skills are not as well developed as his receiving ones, but Bischoff said he’s shown a “willingness” to work on that part of his game and improvement in that area would only help him carve out a bigger role on offense for the AFC West club.
Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley took a big step forward in 2024 and he thinks he can take another one in 2025.
Henley played almost all of his snaps on special teams after being drafted in the third round in 2023, but the team’s coaching change opened the door to a starting spot on defense and Henley made the most of it. Henley led the Chargers with 157 tackles while starting every game and he said recently that he thinks he’s just scratching the surface of what he’ll be able to do in the NFL.
“I think the biggest thing about expectations like that is that they have to start within,” Henley said, via the team’s website. “It’s not something that people should bestow upon you, you have to want that for yourself to go get it. That’s always been my goal and aspirations, to be that type of player this league for years to come. Whether it’s this year, next year, that’s something I’m continuously working for. It’s a process, and I’m not ever trying to be stagnant. Last year was last year, it is what it is. I can improve. There’s so much more for me out there.”
The Chargers were the league’s stingiest scoring defense last season and Henley played an integral role in lifting them to the top of the league. The push to remain there will be easier if Henley is able to reach the next level as a player.
