[Windhorst] “In late April, TWG Global raised $15 billion to ‘build up sizable stakes in a range of sports assets.’ $10 billion of that money was invested by a firm in Abu Dhabi. Two months later, TWG buys the Lakers for $10 billion. I’m just pointing that out.”

38 comments

1. Ahhh fml

2. Oh

3. And it’s happened. 

4. ffs the oil money is here

5. LeAbu LeDhabi

6. What are the odds they don’t know this is a salary cap league?

7. Uh oh

8. [deleted]

9. LIV Basketball incoming…

10. Sovereign wealth funds corrupting my pure American sport

    You hate to see it 

11. Salary cap is dead. 

    Huge marketing deals will be the future. 

12. Everything in this country, including its leader, is getting bought out by oil money. Soon to be our public lands too.

13. This is what Adam Silver wanted.

14. Happening in every sport lol

15. Build (steal) wealth on the backs of imported slaves from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to name a few.

    Use that wealth to purchase hotels, sports teams and media.

    Use the above to ensure you can clean your image.

    Scumbags.

16. We can’t be serious

17. Is this what they call sportswashing?

18. Money rules everything

19. Natural evolution lol I dont think people understand the difference and gap in oil money. We have no idea how much they are worth but let’s put it like this if they woke up with Elon Musk money they would kill themselves.

    They have probably close to a trillion dollars at this point and thats not a joke. We just dont have any way to track thier wealth much like Putin

    They just have anything left to buy. 

20. Windy droppin knowledge 

21. That’s awful

22. I knew there was something fishy

23. Let’s see how many “3Year/60 million on the books ~ 3Year/100 million off the book” contracts Lakers can run up. 😒

24. United Arab LeMirates

25. >Mubadala Investment Company is, in turn, owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi. Therefore, the ulti- mate owner of Mubadala Capital is the Government of Abu Dhabi.

    It’s official, the Lakers are owned by a foreign nation. May as well, they already own the president.

26. That fucking sucks.

27. Fuck oil money. I hate this sportswashing crap so much.

28. > You guys have heard me talk about Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi’s deep interest in investing in the
    NBA and American sport. Mubadallah Capital wouldn’t be able to directly buy the Lakers but certainly they couldninvest in something to buy the Lakers.

     

    Mubadala:

    > The company is a wholly-owned investment vehicle of the government of Abu Dhabi, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice-president and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, is chairman of the company.

     

    Lol hell of a loophole enabling Abu Dhabi to basically buy the Lakers

    Edit to add some other notable recent ventures/dealings of TWG Global and Mark Walter:

    > Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI has partnered with Palantir Technologies (PLTR.O) and investment firm TWG Global, the companies said on Tuesday, as they look to tap growing AI demand in the financial services industry.
    >
    > The data analytics firm and TWG, led by Guggenheim Partners founder Mark Walter and entertainment financier Thomas Tull, had in March announced a joint venture aimed at AI deployment in financial services and insurance sectors.

     

    Elon AND Palantir is one hell of morally bankrupt partnership duo to get in bed with and it happened just month (the above is from a [May 2025 press release](https://www.reuters.com/business/musks-xai-joins-twg-global-palantir-ai-push-financial-sector-2025-05-06/)) after getting Abu Dhabi to commit to bank rolling his purchase of the Lakers. Whewwww buddy

29. All money isn’t good money. NBA should stand up against sports washing. 

30. This stinks. Keep the oil money out of good American sports.

31. LeBron is going to give a statement how Windhorst is misinformed or not really educated on the situation

32. This seems like a bad idea and hopefully silver turns it down.

33. Within 5 years, we’re going to have a showcase game in Abu Dhabi with the Lakers. Mark my words.

34. Los Angeles City FC

35. Disgusting but not surprising.

36. I mean, TWG bought 58% of the Lakers (Walter and Boehly already owned 27% and Buss is keeping 15% for the time being) at $10 billion so that’s $5.8 billion of investment, not an actual $10 billion. And I’m assuming this is set up as a normal fund where LPs are investing pro rata, so that’s really “just” $3.9 billion from Abu Dhabi.

    Feels like Windhorst is trying to imply that the Abu Dhabi firm is effectively buying the Lakers which I highly doubt is true, although I’m sure they’ll have some say.

37. That’s a lot of blood money.

38. Anyone who’s ever been under the impression that the NBA cares about morality or ethics is naive. They let domestic abusers play in this league, they shut down political action and discourse that isn’t financially convenient for them, they’ve played a huge role in normalizing gambling for young people, etc