Jeanie Buss, who serves as the governor of the Los Angeles Lakers, is actively opposing a proposal put forward by her brothers and sisters to sell the final 17.8 percent of the family’s stake in the franchise. The dispute centers on a high‑profile transaction that was announced earlier this month, in which two prominent investors—Josh Kushner, the brother‑in‑law of former President Donald Trump’s son‑in‑law Jared Kushner, and former Disney chief executive Bob Iger—agreed to purchase a controlling interest in the Lakers at a valuation of roughly $12.5 billion (about £9.3 billion). This price would set a new record for the sale of a professional sports team. According to reports, Kushner and Iger plan to acquire roughly 65 percent of the club from Mark Walter, a billionaire who already holds a share in the Los Angeles Dodgers and partners with Chelsea Football Club chairman Todd Boehly on several sports‑related ventures.
If the deal also includes the Buss family’s remaining trust shares, the new ownership group would control about 83 percent of the Lakers. Jeanie Buss has been the franchise’s governor since 2013, a role she inherited after the death of her father, Jerry Buss, who bought the team in 1979 and turned it into a global brand. In 2022, Jeanie spearheaded the family’s decision to sell a controlling block of the Lakers to Mark Walter for an estimated $10 billion. That agreement was structured to keep her in the governor’s seat until 2030, provided she retained at least a 15‑percent ownership stake—a requirement embedded in the league’s bylaws for anyone who wishes to serve as a controlling owner.
The current push by her siblings to offload the remaining trust shares would effectively end Jeanie’s tenure, because relinquishing the 15‑percent floor would disqualify her from holding the governor’s position. The Buss family issued a statement on Monday indicating that they had collectively decided to sell the last of the family‑trust shares to the Bob Iger‑Josh Kushner consortium as part of the broader transaction. The statement read, "We love the Lakers, Lakers fans and will continue to support Los Angeles; but it is time to use this opportunity to move on and exit gracefully while we still can." However, Jeanie’s legal counsel, attorney Adam Streisand, promptly sent a letter to the five other Buss siblings asserting that any attempt to sell the trust’s ownership would be "void" under the terms of the trust agreement.
The letter, cited by ESPN, emphasized that co‑trustees are legally obligated to preserve the minimum 15‑percent ownership threshold to ensure Jeanie can remain the controlling owner. Streisand warned that any effort to contravene this requirement would constitute a breach of fiduciary duty, a violation of trust law, and could lead to contempt of court proceedings. The Lakers, with a storied history of 17 NBA championships—11 of which were won under the Buss family’s stewardship—have been plagued by internal family tensions since Jerry Buss passed away. The discord intensified in 2017 when Jeanie dismissed Jim Buss, her brother, from his role as head of basketball operations.
Within a week, Jim and another brother, Johnny, filed a lawsuit seeking to remove Jeanie as the controlling owner. More recently, in November of the previous year, two other siblings, Joey and Jesse Buss, were terminated from their front‑office positions with the team.
The proposed sale to Kushner and Iger still requires approval from the NBA’s Board of Governors, a process that could take several months. The transaction also arrives amid unrelated controversy surrounding Josh Kushner’s involvement in a FIFA proposal spearheaded by Gianni Infantino. The plan, known as the "FIFA Forward Enterprise," aimed to sell fractional stakes in the organization’s competitions to private investors. Kushner’s venture‑capital firm, Thrive Eternal, was initially slated to lead the investor group, but the proposal was abandoned after intense criticism and threats of boycott from major continental confederations, including UEFA.
If the deal ultimately closes, the Lakers would join an increasingly globalized sports ownership landscape, where media magnates, tech entrepreneurs, and former entertainment executives pool resources to acquire historic franchises. For Jeanie Buss, the outcome will determine whether she can continue to shape the Lakers’ legacy or whether she will step aside after decades of guiding the club through multiple championship runs, roster overhauls, and the ever‑evolving business of professional basketball. Regardless of the final decision, the situation underscores how family dynamics, league governance rules, and massive financial stakes intersect in the world of elite sports ownership. It also highlights the delicate balance that long‑standing owners must strike between preserving heritage and adapting to the pressures of modern, multi‑billion‑dollar valuations.
The Lakers’ future, both on the court and in the boardroom, will be watched closely by fans, analysts, and investors alike as the saga unfolds.