Ownership shifts reshape iconic sports teams as pro leagues expand and valuations surge in 2025

Two of the NBA’s astir decorated franchises changed ownership this year.

The WNBA’s increasing popularity has fueled plans for aggregate enlargement teams successful the coming years.

Hurricane Milton severely damaged Tropicana Field, which forced the Rays to play location games astatine George M. Steinbrenner Field — the outpouring grooming location of the New York Yankees — successful 2025 earlier caller ownership clarified the team’s future.

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Growth successful U.S. women’s nonrecreational shot further underscored the broader interaction sports had successful 2025.

Here’s a look astatine immoderate of the biggest sports ownership changes, league expansions and different stories that defined the year.

Iconic NBA franchises alteration ownership

In June, the Buss household entered a acquisition statement for the Los Angeles Lakers with Guggenheim Partners CEO Mark Walter for a valuation of astir $10 billion. The fig represented the highest valuation connected grounds for a U.S. nonrecreational sports team. 

While the woody transferred bulk ownership to Walter, the Buss household retained a number involvement successful the franchise. Jeanie Buss continues to correspond the Lakers connected the NBA’s committee of governors.

Los Angeles Lakers proprietor Jeanie Buss attends media time astatine the UCLA Health and Training Center successful El Segundo, California connected Sept. 28, 2021 successful Los Angeles, California. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports)

The woody besides included guarantees giving Buss the powerfulness to proceed overseeing the franchise’s day-to-day hoops operations for "at slightest a fig of years," ESPN reported astatine the time.

Elsewhere, successful August, the NBA committee of governors backed a Bill Chisholm-led capitalist radical gaining controlling involvement successful the Boston Celtics. The woody was worthy astir $6.1 billion. The Celtics won the franchise’s record-setting 18th NBA title successful 2024, surpassing the Lakers for the astir successful league history.

MLB squad lands buyer

Real property magnate Patrick Zalupski led an concern radical that gained support for a controlling involvement successful the Rays aft Stu Sternberg expressed involvement successful parting ways with the MLB club. The woody to get the Rays reportedly closed astatine $1.7 cardinal successful September.

NWSL xxpansion

In precocious January, an concern radical headed by Robert Cohen, the president and CEO of IMA Financial, acceptable an NWSL enlargement fee. The woody awarded Denver its archetypal NWSL team, whose sanction was unveiled successful the summertime arsenic the Denver Summit. The franchise is scheduled to instrumentality the transportation successful 2026. Another enlargement club, the Boston Legacy, volition besides statesman play that year.

The logo of the National Women's Soccer League astatine SeatGeek Stadium earlier the crippled betwixt the Chicago Stars and the Kansas City Current connected May 24, 2025 successful Bridgeview, Illinois. (Matt Cashore/Imagn Images)

In November, the NWSL announced that Atlanta had been awarded the league’s 17th franchise, acceptable to debut successful 2028. The enlargement nine volition beryllium owned by Atlanta Falcons proprietor Arthur Blank.

"I privation to convey Commissioner Jessica Berman, NWSL owners and the enlargement committee for their spot successful awarding Atlanta this opportunity, arsenic good arsenic our enforcement enactment squad for their tireless efforts arsenic we person worked to marque this imagination a reality. We can’t hold to spot our NWSL nine instrumentality the transportation successful 2028," Blank said successful a statement.

WNBA expansion

Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia are each slated to go location to the 3 newest WNBA teams. The additions volition bring the league to 18 teams by 2030.

A WNBA logo is shown connected the tribunal earlier a crippled betwixt the Connecticut Sun and the Las Vegas Aces astatine Michelob ULTRA Arena connected June 25, 2025 successful Las Vegas, Nevada.  (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Dan Gilbert’s Rock Entertainment Group was announced arsenic the ownership entity for the Cleveland-based team, which is scheduled to extremity disconnected successful 2028. Gilbert besides owns the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Connecticut Sun saga

Steve Pagliuca, a Celtics number owner, spearheaded an concern radical that reportedly reached an statement with the Mohegan Tribe — the ownership radical of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. Pagliuca’s radical announced plans to relocate the franchise to Boston aft the woody closed.

However, WNBA enactment pushed back, saying relocation decisions remainder with the league’s Board of Governors, not idiosyncratic teams.

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The Mohegan Tribe purchased the Sun successful 2003 and successfully moved the team, formerly known arsenic the Orlando Miracle, from Florida to Connecticut that year. According to ESPN, determination are respective options connected the array pertaining to the franchise’s future.

Options see a league-led purchase, a Marc Lasry-backed relocation to Hartford, oregon a partial merchantability approved by the WNBA.

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