As a data analyst who's crunched numbers for Premier League clubs, even I'm stunned by the Lakers' latest valuation leap. A $100M minority stake sale now pegs the franchise at $17.2B - matching the combined worth of Madison Square Garden-backed Knicks and Chase Center-owning Warriors. We'll dissect how market size, LeBron's retirement horizon, and Luka-mania create this financial alchemy. Spoiler: it's not just about basketball.