Who Owns the Dodgers? Mark Walter and Guggenheim Baseball Management

Magic Johnson is the best-known face of the group, but he is a minority partner. Walter, the chief executive of Guggenheim Partners and later TWG Global, put up most of the money and has control.

Who owns the Dodgers today?

Sources: Guggenheim Baseball Management on Wikipedia, citing the Wall Street Journal (March 2012), ESPN (September 2018) and Dodgers.com (September 2019); Mark Walter on Wikipedia, citing Bloomberg.

Walter controls the team with about a quarter of the equity because MLB requires one "control person" for each club, not majority ownership. The rest of the money came from partners and from Guggenheim-linked investors.

Is Mark Walter selling the Dodgers?

No sale has been announced. In August 2026 Walter agreed to sell his controlling stake in the Los Angeles Lakers to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner at a $12.5 billion valuation, which raised the question. A source told the New York Post on August 12, 2026 that Walter's ownership of the Dodgers was not expected to change and that he plans to stay chairman through Guggenheim Baseball Management.

The same report noted that Bloomberg had reported a federal investigation into potential financial improprieties at insurance companies Walter owned. Walter and TWG Global have denied wrongdoing, and no charges had been reported as of October 30, 2026. I cover the Lakers deal in who owns the Lakers.

How much did Guggenheim pay for the Dodgers?

Frank McCourt agreed in March 2012 to sell the team to the Guggenheim group for $2.15 billion, then a record for any sports team, and the sale closed on May 1, 2012. The land around Dodger Stadium was sold separately to the same group for $150 million, and McCourt kept an economic interest in the parking lots, which the new owners rent.

The sale ended McCourt's ownership after the team went into bankruptcy in 2011. McCourt had paid $430 million in 2004, so the sale was roughly five times his price eight years later.

How much are the Dodgers worth?

Sources: Forbes 2026 MLB valuations as reported by Patch; Fox News, 2012.

On Forbes' figure, the team has gained about $5.65 billion in value, or 3.6 times its price, in 14 years under Guggenheim.

Every Dodgers owner

1. 1883

   Charles Byrne and Ferdinand Abell found the Brooklyn club

   Not recordedSource: Dodgers owners list

2. 1897

   Charles Ebbets joins the ownership and later takes control; the McKeever brothers join in 1912

   Not recordedSource: Dodgers owners list

3. 1945

   Branch Rickey, Walter O'Malley and John L. Smith buy into the club

   Not givenSource: Dodgers owners list

4. 1950

   Walter O'Malley takes control; he moves the team to Los Angeles in 1958

   Not givenSource: Dodgers owners list

5. 1979

   Peter O'Malley and Terry Seidler take over after Walter O'Malley's death

   Family successionSource: Dodgers owners list

6. 1998

   The O'Malleys sell to Rupert Murdoch's Fox Entertainment Group

   $311 million, reportedSource: CNN Money; Dodger Blue

7. 2004

   Fox sells to Frank McCourt, including the stadium and land

   $430 millionSource: ESPN

8. 2011

   The team files for bankruptcy during McCourt's ownership

   Source: Fox News

9. 2012

   Guggenheim Baseball Management buys the team, led by Mark Walter

   $2.15 billionSource: Fox News; Los Angeles Times

10. 2026

    Forbes values the Dodgers second in MLB

    $7.8 billionSource: Forbes via Patch

The Dodgers have had four controlling owners since 1950: the O'Malley family for 48 years, Fox for six, McCourt for eight and Guggenheim for 14 and counting.

Does Magic Johnson own the Dodgers?

Yes, in part. Magic Johnson is a minority partner in Guggenheim Baseball Management and has been since the 2012 purchase. His exact stake has never been published. Mark Walter, not Johnson, is the controlling owner.

How I checked this

I used the ownership records summarized on Wikipedia for Guggenheim Baseball Management and the Dodgers' owners, checking the cited Wall Street Journal, ESPN and Los Angeles Times reports for the 2012 deal. The 1998 and 2004 prices come from CNN, Dodger Blue and ESPN, and the 2026 value from Forbes' March list. Walter's 27% is the Bloomberg Billionaires Index figure; the team has not published partners' stakes.

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