![\"Shohei](\"https:\/\/lakersnation.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Shohei-Ohtani-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Los Angeles Lakers dropped a bombshell this week when reports came out that the Buss family was selling their majority stake in the franchise to Mark Walter, who already was a minority owner.<\/p>\n
Walter is also the majority owner of the L.A. Dodgers and now that he owns both organizations, there is expected to be increased synergy between them.<\/p>\n
That does not mean they will be sharing players, however. The Dodgers do have one potential player who would interest the Lakers and that is Shohei Ohtani, the two-way sensation who can arguably accomplish any athletic feat.<\/p>\n
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made sure to get out in front of the potential issue by joking that Ohtani is off limits to the Lakers.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, that\u2019s my message. Hands off of Shohei,\u201d Roberts recently said. \u201cThey\u2019ve got enough superstars wearing the purple and gold. Leave him alone.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The Lakers do have a Japanese star of their own in Rui Hachimura, which Roberts feels is good enough for the historic basketball team.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Hachimura is taking care of the Japanese thing. He\u2019s got that and we\u2019ll have Shohei on the baseball side,\u201d Roberts added.<\/em><\/p>\n Roberts\u2019 comments didn\u2019t appear to stop the Lakers from making a bit of a recruiting pitch as Ohtani took to Instagram to show off the gift basket the organization sent him.<\/p>\n Let the recruitment begin \ud83d\udc40 https:\/\/t.co\/ixTnDsMbjc pic.twitter.com\/IXd7UtT0Ug<\/p>\n \u2014 Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) June 21, 2025<\/p><\/blockquote>\n While Ohtani would never realistically play for the Lakers, this is the synergy between the two organizations that a sale like this should create. The Lakers and Dodgers will always be linked in L.A., but now with Walter running both teams, it\u2019s reasonable to expect more Dodgers players at Lakers games next season and vice versa.<\/p>\n With Mark Walter having been the owner of the Dodgers since 2012, Dave Roberts is well aware of the positive effects he can have. And Dave Roberts is very excited about what Walter will bring to the Lakers.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a very exciting day for the Lakers, for the city of Los Angeles,\u201d Roberts said. \u201cSpeaking as a Dodger employee, he\u2019s very competitive and he\u2019s going to do everything he can to produce a championship-caliber team every single year and make sure the city feels proud about the Lakers and the legacy they\u2019ve already built with the Buss family.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Los Angeles Lakers dropped a bombshell this week when reports came out that the Buss family was selling their majority stake in the franchise to Mark Walter, who already was a minority owner. W\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":72344,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts explains why Mark Walter will be good for Lakers<\/h2>\n