ESPN snags Lakers' first game of NBA season after ex-Disney CEO buys team
ESPN snags Lakers' first game of NBA season after ex-Disney CEO buys team
Jarrod CastilloFri, August 14, 2026 at 4:03 AM UTC
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The Los Angeles Lakers' first game of the season will be on ESPN -Credit:GETTY
The Los Angeles Lakers' first game of the season will be on a network very familiar to the team's new owners.
On Thursday, the NBA's teams announced their respective schedules for the 2026 season, with the Lakers' 79th campaign beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at Crypto.com Arena against the Golden State Warriors. Though the Lakers no longer have LeBron James, the team will have 34 nationally televised games this year.
That said, it was announced that the Lakers' first game of the season will be televised on ESPN, just hours after Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner agreed to purchase the team from Mark Walter for $12 billion, just one year after Walter bought the team from the Buss family.
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Iger is the former CEO of Disney, having served in the position twice, from 2005 to 2020 and then again from 2022 to 2026. The 75-year-old also was the President of Disney from 2000 to 2012 and the chairman of the Walt Disney Company from 2012 to 2021.
Notably, ESPN has been owned by Disney since 1996, when the Walt Disney Company, under the leadership of then-CEO Michael Eisner, acquired an 80 percent stake in the network. The remaining minority is owned by Hearst Communications.
Iger was in charge of Disney when ESPN began transitioning from its role as a stalwart in cable television to a streaming model as more consumers opted to "cut the cord" and rely more on services like Netflix and Hulu.
Joshua Kushner (L) and Bob Iger (R) have agreed to buy the Los Angeles Lakers for a record $12 billion -Credit:Getty Images
In a joint statement to ESPN, both Iger and Kushner, the brother of Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of Donald Trump, expressed their excitement upon buying the Lakers from Walter, who is being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and federal prosecutors as part of a wide-ranging probe into his financial dealings.
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Notably, the deal for the Lakers reportedly came together in 72 hours, and Walter had been in talks with investors to "raise money to pay down the loans he is being investigated for," per Joe Pompliano.
“As lifelong NBA fans, we are deeply honored for the opportunity to become stewards of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most iconic sports franchises in the world," Iger and Kushner's statement began. "We have immense respect for the leadership and vision of Jerry and Jeanie Buss.
"Our long-term commitment is to build on that foundation, compete at the highest level, and serve this extraordinary team, its fans, and the city of Los Angeles."
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Regarding the new-look Lakers led by Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the team will play in 34 nationally televised games this season, tied with the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs.
Oklahoma City Thunder games will be nationally televised the second-most, with 30. The Warriors and Denver Nuggets have the third-most nationally televised games, with 28 apiece.
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with Lamelo Ball and the Boston Celtics, will each have 27 games on national television, while the Miami Heat, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, will have 25 total.
The 2026-27 regular season will tip off on Oct. 20.
Source: “AOL Sports”
