Rosen has a ton of connections to the Lakers as he began his career as an intern with the franchise before moving up into a front office role in the 1980s. He is also familiar with Walter as he has been an executive with the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2012.

Something Rosen will already have to deal with is fan backlash after the Lakers confirmed a major increase in the price of season tickets beginning next season. In speaking on it, Rosen said that the new prices reflect the market demand but he hopes the holders renew, via Khobi Price of the California Post:

“We hope they renew,” Rosen said. “And obviously it reflects on what the market is now and the demand for tickets. You can look at how tickets sell and what the prices are. You look at the primary and secondary market and you can see where their demand is.”

The affordability of games has been an ongoing discussion throughout many sports as ticket price increases have been rampant. That has especially been the case in the NBA and the Lakers, as the premier basketball franchise, are always one of the most expensive tickets to get a hold of. Add in having superstars like Luka Doncic and LeBron James on the roster, and it makes Lakers tickets even more of a commodity.

Some sections are seeing their season ticket prices increase by nearly 50%, which is quite a massive uptick, and the team will also be adding on a 3% administrative fee if the invoice isn’t paid off to start. It is unfortunate for Lakers fans who are the ones who ultimately have to pay these increased prices, but it is simply the new reality.

Lakers hire Tony Bennett as NBA Draft advisor to Rob Pelinka

The Lakers have already begun bringing in new people as they build out the front office of the organization on both the basketball and business side. Most recently, the team hired former University of Virginia head coach Tony Bennett as their new NBA Draft advisor to general manager Rob Pelinka.

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He wasted no time doing that by hiring Lon Rosen to be the organization’s president of business operations, replacing Tim Harris who is leaving the organization at the end of this season.

One thing that seemingly won’t be changing is Rob Pelinka running basketball operations as he recently revealed that he and team Governor Jeanie Buss will remain in their current roles.

That was confirmed by Rosen, who spoke to the media for the first time and stated that Pelinka will remain president of basketball operations, via Dave McMenamin of ESPN:

New Lakers president of business operations Lon Rosen told reporters this evening that Rob Pelinka will remain as the team’s president of basketball operations and while Earvin “Magic” Johnson will surely be around the franchise, no official title is planned for him with LAL

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 25, 2026

Rosen used to be the long-time agent of Magic Johnson, who has also worked with him in the Dodgers organization the past handful of years. Because of that, it’s not surprising to see that Johnson will continue to be around the Lakers, even if it’s not in an official capacity.

Johnson, of course, has a checkered past with Pelinka dating back to when they ran the front office together from 2017-19 before the former resigned.

According to recent reports, the Lakers are planning to model their front office after the Dodgers, which means they will likely make some additions this offseason, even if Pelinka will continue to be in charge.

Lon Rosen outlines goals in new role with Lakers

Lon Rosen expressed his excitement to be returning to the Lakers organization and outlined his goals in his new role.

“I’m beyond grateful to Jeanie and Mark for trusting me with this incredible opportunity,” said Rosen. “As everyone knows, the economics of the sports business are constantly changing – and they will continue to do so.

“But, at root, my job is a simple one: figuring out how to do right by our employees and our partners while ensuring that the Lakers continue to provide an unparalleled experience for our fans in Los Angeles and around the world. I look forward to working alongside Jeanie, Rob and the whole front-office team to make that happen.”

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The move further strengthens the connection between the Lakers and Dodgers since Mark Walter purchased the team. It has been assumed that Walter would look to use many of the same tactics that have made the Dodgers so successful over to the Lakers and Rosen taking over the business operations should allow for that transition to take place.

Rosen has a long history with the Lakers as well, so he is very familiar with what the franchise is all about and obviously knows what has worked well for the Dodgers. So it should be no surprise that he is planning on bringing some of those best practices from the Dodgers over to the Lakers, via Ramona Shelburne of ESPN:

This is a full circle moment for Rosen, who began his career as an intern with the Lakers the year before Dr Jerry Buss bought the team. As I understand it, he will be running the Lakers business operations with an eye on bringing some of the best practices from the Dodgers… https://t.co/7PpcTuF8rV

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) February 19, 2026

As Shelburne noted, this is really a full circle moment for Rosen, who worked his way up from Lakers intern to Director of Promotions. He also was the agent and business partner for Lakers legend Magic Johnson, so his deep ties to both franchises make him the ideal hire for this position.

The Dodgers have become the premier franchise in baseball both on and off the field with Rosen playing a big role on the business side and there are plenty of things that can transfer over to the Lakers to help this franchise grow even more.

Lakers executives have already been consulting with top Dodgers’ brass on some things and now bringing Rosen on board will only make that pipeline even stronger as Walter takes over as owner.

Lon Rosen outlines goals in new role with Lakers

Lon Rosen has already released a statement after being named Lakers new President of Business Operations, outlining his ultimate goal in his new role while adding that he is looking forward to working with Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka.

Rosen has had a close relationship with Buss since the 1980s, making this an even more seamless transition for him.

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Rosen has been in his position with the Dodgers since 2012, and has overseen successful operations on the business side as the team has seen unprecedented success on the field. They have routinely increased year-to-year revenue while being the MLB leaders in attendance in nearly every year of his tenure.

Now, the newest top decision-maker for the Lakers’ business operations side gave his statement on joining the purple and gold, expressing his thanks while outlining his goals.

“I’m beyond grateful to Jeanie and Mark for trusting me with this incredible opportunity,” said Rosen. “As everyone knows, the economics of the sports business are constantly changing – and they will continue to do so.

“But, at root, my job is a simple one: figuring out how to do right by our employees and our partners while ensuring that the Lakers continue to provide an unparalleled experience for our fans in Los Angeles and around the world. I look forward to working alongside Jeanie, Rob and the whole front-office team to make that happen.”

Walter took over as the majority owner of the Lakers earlier this season and has already begun making changes to try and replicate the Dodgers’ success in downtown L.A. However, it is clear that — at least for the near future — Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka are going to remain heavily involved.

Rosen thanked both Pelinka, the general manager, and Buss, the team governor, in his statement. This is yet another indication that Walter is sticking with the two of them as primary figureheads in the organization.

Jeanie Buss believes her father would approve of Lakers sale to Walter

There has been significant drama within the Buss family and the Lakers organization over the decision to sell the team to Walter. All reports claim that Jeanie was the tie-breaking vote to sell after years of being reluctant to do so.

But she believes that her father, the late legend Dr. Jerry Buss, would have approved of selling the team to Walter. That allowed her to feel okay about changing her vote and letting the team be sold for a record $10 billion valuation.

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Earlier this week, it was reported Tim Harris, who has served as the Lakers President of Business Operations and has been with the franchise for more than 30 years, would be stepping down at the end of the season. The franchise moved quickly to find his replacement in someone who is familiar with the franchise and family of both the Lakers and Dodgers.

“For many years, I have seen the impact that Lon has had in our industry,” Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss said. “Over that time, I have learned that not only is Lon a great person, but he also has a deep understanding of both sports and entertainment and a true feel for where this business is headed.”

“Finding someone who could fill Tim’s shoes overseeing the business side of our organization would never be easy,” said Buss. “The answer, we soon realized, was someone both Mark and I knew well – and who already understood the values, culture and commitment to excellence of both the Dodgers and the Lakers.” 

For his part, Rosen is excited at this new role he is embarking on with the Lakers franchise.

“I’m beyond grateful to Jeanie and Mark for trusting me with this incredible opportunity,” Rosen said. “As everyone knows, the economics of the sports business are constantly changing – and they will continue to do so.

“But, at root, my job is a simple one: figuring out how to do right by our employees and our partners while ensuring that the Lakers continue to provide an unparalleled experience for our fans in Los Angeles and around the world. I look forward to working alongside Jeanie, Rob and the whole front-office team to make that happen.”

New owner Mark Walter is already putting pieces in place to help move the franchise forward on all fronts and Rosen, who was previously a high-powered agent who represented Lakers icon Magic Johnson, is someone who understands this franchise and what it means to be a Laker very well.

Luka Doncic on board with Lakers’ quiet trade deadline plan

This offseason is shaping up to be a major one for the Lakers as they are armed with cap space and draft picks to deal. The team didn’t do much during the recent trade deadline in order to maintain their flexibility for the summer and superstar guard Luka Doncic is on board with that plan as well.

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