Los Angeles Lakers face takeover

**Susannah Streeter** (0:01)
A blockbuster deal for one of the biggest names in sport. The Los Angeles Lakers have new owners in a record-breaking $12.5 billion sale. We'll look at what the latest inflation figures tell us about the US economy and why Canada is locked in a race against the clock to avoid fresh Trump tariffs. That's all to come on World Business Report, which is after the latest world news.

**Neil Nunes** (0:31)
BBC News with Neil Nunes. The head of the World Health Organization has warned that the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is on track to become the worst ever. Since May, there have been over 4,000 confirmed cases and more than 2,000 deaths. The Bangladeshi authorities have ordered shopping malls, markets and businesses to close by 8 p.m. every day as part of measures to conserve electricity amid an energy crisis. President Trump says Caroline Leavitt, his White House press secretary, will step down at the end of the month to spend more time with her young family. Ms. Leavitt, who is 28 years old, is widely known for her combative style and fierce loyalty to Mr. Trump.
Israel says more troops will be sent to a village in the occupied West Bank where two Palestinian families have been trapped inside their homes by settlers since Sunday. The first Israeli soldiers who arrived at the scene were filmed praying with the extremist settlers.
The US defense secretary Pete Hegseth has welcomed Columbia into a military-led counter-narcotics coalition of Latin American partners meeting in Panama. It follows last week's inauguration in Columbia of a new right-wing president, Abelardo de Espriella.
Malawi have beaten Algeria in the semi-finals of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations. Sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga scored three goals between them. Malawi, who were considered outsiders, will face either Morocco or Cameroon in the final on Sunday. A total solar eclipse has passed across Europe for the first time in 27 years. Millions of people living in an area covering Greenland and Iceland and down to the Iberian Peninsula witnessed the moon obscuring the sun. BBC World News.

**Susannah Streeter** (2:32)
A sporting empire has a new owner.

**Blaine Skinner** (2:35)
What kind of sets them apart from a lot of other NBA teams? They're a global brand. The Lakers have fans all over the world.

**Susannah Streeter** (2:43)
It's World Business Report from the BBC World Service.
On the way, is the squeeze on American households starting to ease? New inflation figures may give us the answer. Plus the clock is ticking for Canada as negotiators scrambled to head off a fresh wave of Trump tariffs.
So one of the most famous names in sport is changing hands yet again. The Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most successful and recognisable franchises in world sport, is being sold in a deal reportedly worth a record-breaking $12.5 billion. The team has won 17 NBA championships and has been home to some of basketball's biggest stars, including Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdullabar, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. So some big names there. And the new ownership group says it intends to build on that legacy and keep the Lakers competing at the highest level. They're a group that include the likes of Josh Kushner, who is the brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and also the former Disney boss, Bob Iger. Plainskinner is a former executive director of the Los Angeles Lakers, where he worked for 38 seasons.

**Blaine Skinner** (4:06)
Well, I actually texted somebody this morning after my phone was very active after news of the sale broke. And I said, if someone had told me yesterday that they heard Iger and Kushner were buying the Lakers for $12.5 billion, I would have told them they were crazy.

**Susannah Streeter** (4:27)
What is surprising about this? The company was only just sold last year in 2025 for $10 billion to businessman Mark Walter. So it does feel quite a short turnaround.

**Blaine Skinner** (4:39)
I think that's the most surprising thing. I think we here in Los Angeles all envision that Walter would own and operate the team for many years. The Lakers were in the ownership of the Bus family from 1979 until last year. So obviously that's a long period of time. And I think most people felt like Walter's ownership would maybe span the same amount of time.
Certainly not just a little bit over one year.

**Susannah Streeter** (5:09)
Is there any motivation behind this? Why would the company behind the LA Lakers want this to go ahead?

**Blaine Skinner** (5:17)
I can only speculate from an investment standpoint. To get a 20% return on your investment in a little bit over one year's time is pretty compelling. I think that was probably the overriding factor if I had to guess.