📰🏟️ Lakers sold to Iger, Kushner
Plus: Quest for a living CTE diagnosis…
Good afternoon. Today’s edition brings you the top news from around the sports world. Just keep scrolling.
—Kyle
1) LA Lakers sold to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner for $12.5B
The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold by Mark Walter barely a year after the LA Dodgers owner purchased the historic NBA franchise at a then-record $10B valuation, per multiple sources.
- Walter is reportedly selling his majority ownership stake—at a record-high $12.5B valuation—to former Disney CEO Bob Iger and investor Josh Kushner, the brother of President Trump's son-in-law, Jared.
- The two new Lakers majority owners were reportedly involved in the NBA expansion process in Las Vegas, but pivoted to LA instead.
- Walter, who built his financial empire in the insurance industry, is currently under federal investigation for potential securities fraud tied to insurance companies he owns.
2) Kyler Murray wins Vikings’ QB1 battle
Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell officially named former Cardinals QB Kyler Murray as starter yesterday, ending his training camp competition with 2024 1st-round pick J.J. McCarthy.
- Murray joined Minnesota on a 1-yr, $1.3M "prove-it" deal in the offseason after being released by the Cardinals, who still owe Murray $35.5M in dead money.
- It marks the 4th straight year the Vikings will have a new Week 1 starter (Kirk Cousins, Sam Darnold, McCarthy, Murray).
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3) Mariners’ Cal Raleigh extends woeful streak
One year after becoming just the 7th player in MLB history to hit 60 HRs in a season, Mariners C Cal “Big Dumper” Raleigh is having what could be the biggest annual drop-off of all-time.
- Raleigh has a .159 batting average, .564 OPS (dead last among hitters with 300+ ABs), and just 12 HR on the year—though he’s also missed 34 games with an oblique strain.
- No qualified MLB hitter has seen a decrease of 40 HRs from one season to the next since Hall of Famer Hack Wilson went from 56 to 13 in 1931.
Struggles continue for “Big Slumper”
4) Ex-NFL QB Hasselbeck joins pursuit for living CTE diagnosis
Former Pro Bowl QB Matt Hasselbeck, 50, recently spent two days at Boston University undergoing scans and tests to see how his football career affected his brain.
- While Hasselbeck seems relatively unscathed after a 17-yr NFL career, his brain scans will be used as part of a study trying to diagnose CTE in living patients.
- The disease, which right now can be diagnosed only after death, has been identified in 100+ former NFL players.
- The NIH-funded study is aimed at finding ways to differentiate CTE symptoms from Alzheimer’s, many of which appear near-identical.
The quest for a living CTE diagnosis
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