Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter suffered a stroke during the 2024 World Series, according to The Wall Street Journal, and the previously undisclosed medical incident has raised fresh questions about his role across his businesses.
At the time, only people close to Walter knew he was dealing with a medical emergency. Midway through the World Series, he had suffered a stroke, people familiar with the matter said.
The health issue helps explain why Walter was not in Yankee Stadium when the Dodgers celebrated their World Series title after winning Game 5. He also missed the team’s World Series parade and the celebration at Dodger Stadium, where team president and CEO Stan Kasten and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman were both on stage.
Walter has generally kept a low profile during the season, but his absence stood out in that moment. Since then, concern over his health has grown inside his business empire, with people offering different views on whether lingering effects from the stroke have affected his ability to lead.
He did reappear publicly at several points after that. Walter’s next time back in the spotlight came at the Tokyo Series to open the 2025 season. He later was on the field for the Dodgers’ World Series ring ceremony and joined the team for its visit to the White House.
The 66-year-old was also more visible in last year’s postseason than he had been in 2024. He accepted the National League champions trophy on stage and celebrated with the Dodgers after they beat the Toronto Blue Jays to win the World Series at Rogers Centre.
Walter’s profile has only grown on the business side, too. Last November, he finalized a record $10 billion purchase of a majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers.
But his success in sports and business has not kept him out of the spotlight for other reasons. Walter had already drawn criticism over Guggenheim Partners’ ownership of more than 1 million shares of GEO Group, a prison company that aided in the deportation of immigrants. His company later fully divested those shares before the Dodgers made a $1.1 million donation to local organizations supporting people affected by ICE raids.
Now Walter and his holding company, TWG Global, are under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Securities and Exchange Commission over potentially fraudulent loans.
Those loans, made by two Delaware life insurers owned by Walter, went to companies connected to him or TWG Global but were not disclosed as required “related party” transactions. Such transactions are supposed to be reported by insurers to help limit conflicts of interest and protect policyholders.
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