Bill Simmons loves to stir the pot, but this time he stirred up a mess of his own making. On Thursday’s podcast, the die-hard Celtics fan acted like the Lakers sale was dead in the water. He claimed the buyer simply didn’t have the cash to close the deal. That bold take looked like a sure thing until fresh reports came out on Friday showing he was flat-out wrong.
The media loves a good drama, especially when it involves a big-name personality like Simmons. He went on air and said, “The Lakers guy doesn’t have the money yet.” He was talking about Josh Kushner, who bought the franchise for a staggering $12.5 billion back in August. Simmons went further, suggesting Kushner was still short by about $5-6 billion. He even said Bob Iger was only putting in a tiny amount, calling it “like 63 million dollars.” It sounded convincing, but the facts don’t back it up.
The Real Numbers on the Table
By Friday, the story had already started to unravel. Ben Horney of Front Office Sports reported that Kushner and Iger are actively selling pieces of the team to investors. They aren’t scrambling for cash; they are offering minority stakes starting at $250 million apiece. Horney added that some investors are ready to invest significantly more. This isn’t a deal falling apart; it’s a deal being built out piece by piece.
Simmons tried to pin the blame on the Buss family, claiming they were being used as scapegoats. He said, “I think they’re using the Buss family as scapegoats for why the deal’s dragging along, but he can’t find the money.” That quote might have been true a week ago, but not now. The New York Post noted that Horney refuted the claim that money can’t be found, citing “massive demand” to get into the deal.
Why Simmons Missed the Mark
It happens to the best of us, but it hurts when you are a trusted voice in sports media. On Friday, Dan Woike of The Athletic verified the reports, noting that securing funds for the $12.5 billion sale presents no problems. The sale is moving forward, just not at the speed Simmons wanted.
