Chicago’s NBA franchise is adding a new billionaire to its bench. Lukas Walton, the Chicago-based heir to the Walmart fortune, and his wife Samantha are acquiring a minority stake in the Chicago Bulls, the team and ownership sources said Friday. The purchase reportedly includes part of the United Center, although terms were not disclosed and the Reinsdorf family will retain controlling ownership of the franchise.
The transaction was first reported by Bloomberg, which said the Waltons will buy interests from existing limited partners and that the Bulls provided a statement to the outlet. Bloomberg’s report did not list financial terms or the exact percentages involved.
Who Is Lukas Walton?
Lukas Walton is the grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton and runs Builders Vision, an impact-investing platform based in Chicago, according to Forbes. Forbes places his net worth in the high-40-billion-dollar range and notes his philanthropic and climate-focused investment activity.
United Center And Local Stakes
The United Center sits on Chicago’s Near West Side and is jointly owned by the Reinsdorf and Wirtz families. The arena and surrounding land are the focus of a planned multibillion-dollar redevelopment known as the "1901 Project," ABC7 Chicago reported. As Bloomberg noted, the Waltons’ purchase would come from existing limited partners while the Reinsdorfs keep a controlling stake.
A Walton Playbook In Sports
Other members of the Walton clan have already moved into major sports ownership. A Rob Walton-led group bought the NFL’s Denver Broncos in 2022, a high-profile acquisition that showed the family’s appetite for long-term franchise investments, according to NFL. That precedent makes this minority purchase less a shock and more a predictable next step in how wealthy investors deploy capital into teams and arenas.
League Approval And Next Steps
Transfers of team equity typically require league review and sign-off by the NBA’s Board of Governors, a step the league has taken in past sales such as the 2014 approval for new ownership of the Milwaukee Bucks. The NBA’s approvals process has been documented in prior team announcements and press releases. The Bulls and the Waltons have not disclosed a closing date or exact stake percentages.
For Bulls fans the immediate news is structural: control does not change, but the franchise has added a deep-pocketed minority partner whose capital and civic ties could influence long-range plans for the roster and the United Center redevelopment. Expect formal league filings and additional details as the transaction moves through approvals.
