Money may change people, but it doesn't erase a sports fan's DNA. Just ask Bob Iger, the former Disney CEO who just dove headfirst into Lakers ownership—despite once admitting he couldn't root for the purple and gold.
Iger, alongside Josh Kushner, completed a stunning $12.5 billion purchase of the Lakers from Mark Walter this week. But long before he was calling the shots in the front office, Iger was sitting in the stands—cheering for the other Los Angeles team.
A Knicks Kid at Heart
Back in 2021, Iger appeared on The Old Man and the Three podcast and dropped a confession that now feels a little ironic. Growing up in New York, he bled Knicks orange and blue. So when he moved to LA in 2000, adopting the Lakers as his new team just wasn't in the cards.
"I'm a Clippers fan," Iger said at the time. "Having moved from New York to Los Angeles back in 2000 and being a big NBA fan, I needed a team to root for… Lakers were a big rival of the Knicks, the team I grew up rooting for. So I couldn't root for the Lakers very easily; just was not in my DNA."
He even admitted that cheaper Clippers tickets played a role in his choice—a detail that Lakers fans are now chewing on with mixed emotions.
Fan Backlash Heats Up
Lakers faithful didn't take the news lightly. Social media lit up with reactions ranging from playful jabs to outright frustration.
- "A clippers fan shouldn't be running the greatest franchise in sports," one fan fumed.
- "Excited to see Bob Iger try to walk this one back," another wrote.
- "We got a Clippers fan as our owner, it's BEYOND cooked now," a third lamented.
The timing couldn't be more awkward: Iger takes over a team that's currently led by Luka Doncic and coached by JJ Redick—the same JJ Redick who hosted that very podcast where Iger made his confession. Talk about a full-circle moment.
Not the First Time
Iger isn't exactly breaking new ground here. Sports history is littered with stars who switched sides after their playing days. Michael Jordan owned the Hornets after torching them as a Bull. Jerry West built championship teams for the Lakers, then did the same for the Clippers. Pat Riley coached the Lakers to glory, then ran the Heat.
Fans are a forgiving bunch—especially when the trophies start piling up. If Iger's ownership brings banners to Los Angeles, those Clippers' roots might quickly become a footnote. But for now, the jokes are flying, and the irony is thick.
As the record $12B deal shakes the NBA, one thing's for sure: Iger's first press conference will be must-watch TV. Will he address the Clippers fandom? Will he try to spin it? Or will he double down and admit he still checks Clippers scores first?
Either way, Lakers fans are hoping that Mark Walter's massive flip doesn't mean the new boss is secretly a fan of the wrong side of LA.
