Longtime Dodgers executive Lon Rosen becomes Lakers' president of business operations

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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Longtime Los Angeles Dodgers executive Lon Rosen is moving into the Los Angeles Lakers ' front office in the latest significant change for the 17-time NBA champion organization following its sale last year.

Rosen will be the Lakers' president of business operations, the team announced Thursday. He replaces Tim Harris, who is planning to step down after 35 years with the Lakers.

Rosen has been the Dodgers' executive vice president and chief marketing officer since 2012, the same year Mark Walter purchased the baseball team. The Dodgers have become a powerhouse under Walter's ownership on and off the field, amassing star-studded rosters that have won three of the last six World Series.

Walter finalized his purchase of the Lakers in October, buying majority ownership from Jeanie Buss and her family from a reported $10 billion franchise valuation.

“Finding someone who could fill Tim’s shoes overseeing the business side of our organization would never be easy,” Buss said in a statement. “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.”

Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said earlier this month that his team will begin to emulate aspects of the Dodgers' successful front-office structure. The Lakers have long been perceived as running one of the NBA's thinner front offices, and Pelinka said Walter's Lakers intend to add depth and talent across their off-the-court organization.

Rosen actually began his sports career with the 1980s Showtime Lakers as an intern and a front office executive. He went on to become an agent and a business partner of Magic Johnson before joining the Dodgers.

Jeanie Buss' younger brothers, Joey and Jesse, left their front-office positions a few weeks after Walter finalized his purchase. Jeanie Buss will remain the Lakers' governor under Walter's ownership for the foreseeable future.

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