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A number of NBA teams have changed owners in recent years. Most recently, Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter purchased the Los Angeles Lakers.
NBA ownership changes usually signal a changing of the guard, even if the owners themselves don't directly play on the court. Nonetheless, their leadership usually shapes the culture and direction of where the franchise goes.
Although a change in leadership can improve a franchise, it can also have some harmful effects. Here is a look at 10 NBA ownership changes that made a franchise worse
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Herb Kohl – Milwaukee Bucks
Among the owners of the Milwaukee Bucks, Herb Kohl is the lone owner who registered a losing record with the franchise. Kohl finished with a record of 1,066-1,264 from 1986 to 2014. Under his term, Milwaukee made several trips to the conference finals but never really competed for championships. However, Kohl's legacy as an owner is defined by his decision to keep the Bucks in Milwaukee after a lucrative offer was dangled to the owner with the hopes of relocating the team to Seattle.
Ryan Smith – Utah Jazz
For several seasons, the Utah Jazz were Western Conference threats under Larry H. Miller. Under his term, the team even garnered back-to-back NBA Finals appearances. But since handing the ownership to Ryan Smith, who is also the co-founder of Qualtrics, the Jazz have only made a single playoff appearance.
And while it was for lottery purposes, Utah registered a franchise record of 65 losses last season. To make matters worse, Salt Lake City fans were disappointed after their tanking only amounted to the fifth overall pick at the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft.
Gulf and Western Industries – New York Knicks
The New York Knicks are one of the most popular teams in NBA history. And while the Graham Paige Corporation has done a tremendous job as owners of the franchise with two NBA championships, not a single owner has replicated their feat. After handing over the keys to the Knicks to Gulf and Western Industries, who was owned by Charles Bluhdorn, New York posted a measly 436-548 record overall with five meaningless playoff appearances.
Tillman Fertitta – Houston Rockets
Leslie Alexander was responsible for leading the Houston Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. He continued to be an owner until 2017, when he sold the team to Tillman Fertitta, who also owns Landry's Inc. Fertitta certainly had big shoes to fill. Unfortunately, he has failed to do so thus far.
Houston has only made a single Conference Finals under his term. Since then, there hasn't been a deeper playoff run. However, a good silver lining is that the franchise has a young and exciting core that can lead them towards a bright future.
Jeanie Buss – Los Angeles Lakers
Traditionally, the Los Angeles Lakers are a decorated franchises, having won the second most NBA championships in league history. Jeanie Buss inherited the Lakers team from her father, Jerry Buss. The younger Buss didn't exactly live up to expectations. While she did lead the club to an NBA championship in 2020, thanks to LeBron James, questionable roster moves and early playoff exits marred her ownership tenure.
Ted Leonsis – Washington Wizards/Bullets
The Washington Wizards, even when they were still the Baltimore Bullets and Washington Bullets, have been a mediocre franchise that usually was on the bottom of the NBA. Nonetheless, their brightest era came under the watch of Abe Pollin.
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But in 2011, CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment Ted Leonsis purchased the Wizards franchise. While Leonsis did lead Washington to the playoffs five times, the deepest they went was a second-round exit. The Wizards are currently a rebuilding team, but they still don't look like future contenders even with their current lottery picks and talent.
Joshua Harris – Philadelphia 76ers
The Process Era, when the team collected a bunch of lottery picks, easily defined Joshua Harris' time as owner. Fast-forward to today, the Sixers only have one holdover from that period of adjustment in 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid. However, they still have no championships or Finals appearances to show for it.
While his predecessor Comcast Spectacor failed to win a championship, at least it led Philly to a Finals appearance in 2001. Harris' Sixers are also coming off a terrible 24-58 season despite luring All-Star Paul George to Philadelphia.
Robert L. Johnson – Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets
Michael Jordan would've been easily a part of this list given how terrible his performance was as the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. However, Jordan only didn't make this list primarily due to the fact that the previous owner, Robert L. Johnson, was more atrocious. Johnson could only muster 188 wins out of 492 games as an owner. Under his term, the team also registered just a single playoff appearance in 2010, which turned out to be a first-round sweep at the hands of the Orlando Magic.
Matt Ishbia – Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns were coming off an appearance at the 2021 NBA Finals. But despite having a formidable core, Matt Ishbia's entrance as the new owner of Phoenix has changed things for the worst. Under the CEO of the United Wholesale Mortgage, the Suns have made questionable moves, including emptying their draft capital in order to bring together Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal to team up with Devin Booker.
Since then, the trio was one of the worst super teams in league history. Not only do the Suns have little draft capital, but the team also had little depth to work with to support their superstar trio.
Adelson-Dumont Family – Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks' best years came under Mark Cuban. His style of ownership took the franchise to new heights, including two NBA Finals appearances and one NBA championship with Dirk Nowitzki as his centerpiece. Cuban also played a hand in the acquisition of Luka Doncic before selling his majority stake to the Adelson-Dumont Family.
While the team made the Finals in 2024, the new ownership has disappointed fans in the 2024-25 season, especially when they traded away Luka at the 2025 NBA trade deadline for an injury-riddled Anthony Davis. To make matters worse, the Mavs also failed to make the playoffs. This put more pressure on the new ownership and general manager Nico Harrison to prove their doubters wrong, which could only be done by winning a championship.
