New Lakers owners project an astonishing $30 billion valuation in a decade as Luka Doncic’s roster prepares to enter new NBA season

The new Lakers owners are telling investors the team's valuation will reach at least $30 billion by the end of 2037. Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger led the group that bought the franchise for a record $12.5 billion last month, so the pitch aims high, and parts of it will land hard with fans.Across the Atlantic, Luka Doncic is finishing his offseason work in Slovenia, and the latest report on the guard's conditioning is encouraging. Lakers camp opens Sept. 29, less than two weeks away, and the early numbers point the right way.New Lakers owners expect $30 billion valuation in a decadeJoshua Kushner's investment firm, Thrive Capital, built the presentation, and the Wall Street Journal reviewed a copy. It says the Lakers could be worth at least $30 billion by the end of 2037. Television and streaming rights would have to double in value over the same stretch.Revenue is the other half of the story. The pitch says the Lakers are on pace to bring in $681 million this year. Ten years from now, the target is at least $1.6 billion. If conditions break even better, the group reportedly sees a long-term value of $62 billion.Per Yahoo Sports, the $30 billion mark is bigger than the latest Sportico valuations of the Trail Blazers, Timberwolves, Magic, Pistons, Hornets, Pelicans and Grizzlies combined. The owners can also point to some history. Forbes projected the Lakers at $3 billion in 2016, and the $12.5 billion sale price is roughly four times that.The presentation reportedly targets $150 million in extra revenue by 2028. Part of it would come from taking back about 6,000 season tickets now held by brokers and selling them as single-game seats, which would lift the average single-game price from $217 to $361. The owners also reportedly see $40 million to $75 million in new sponsorship money and at least $20 million in operating savings. Yahoo Sports summed it up as pricier tickets, more ads and deeper spending cuts.In public, the owners have promised to "compete at the highest level" and to serve the team, its fans and the city. Thrive also expects the NBA's media deals, now worth $77 billion over 11 years, to double when the current agreement ends.Luka Doncic is ready to enter new NBA season with LakersLuka Doncic has spent the offseason getting his body back in order, and the early signs are good. SportKlub.si, a Slovenian outlet, reports that the Lakers guard weighs about 105 kilograms (231 pounds) as the last stage of the Ljubljana workouts begins. BasketNews passed the report along on Sept. 15. SportKlub put it this way: "His weight is also within the desired range, unofficially even at 105 kilograms."The Lakers listed the 27-year-old at 104 kilograms (230 pounds) last season, so the gap is about one kilogram before camp even starts.Doncic suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring strain late last season. The injury ended the season and kept him out of the entire Lakers playoff run. The offseason plan began with rehab and then moved into conditioning work.The layoff is a long one. From the final game of last season to the first game of 2026-27, 203 days will pass. It is the longest basketball break of the Slovenian star's career.Doncic did not play for Slovenia this summer and chose family time instead. Basketball still stayed on the schedule. Individual work continued, and Doncic organized a Lakers minicamp in Slovenia.Doncic is expected to stay in Europe until Sept. 20 before flying back to Los Angeles. The Lakers hold media day on Sept. 28, and training camp opens the next day.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.