The Buss family has been synonymous with the Los Angeles Lakers since Jerry Buss purchased the franchise in 1979. Now, that era might be ending — but not without its share of controversy.
The family has reportedly voted to sell its remaining 17.8 percent stake in the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger at a $12.5 billion valuation, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Monday, August 17, but Jeanie Buss is pushing back on the potential sale.
“We have decided as a family to sell the remaining Buss Family Trust shares to the Bob Iger group as part of the ongoing transaction,” the family said in a statement on Monday. “We love the Lakers, Laker 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.”
Jeanie, 64, contends that a court decided in 2017 that no sale could be “effectuated without approval by the co-trustees,” of which she is one, her lawyer told ESPN. If the sale goes through, then she will no longer be able to serve as the team’s governor.
Jeanie came to an agreement with Mark Walter, who bought majority control of the team in 2025, to remain governor until 2030.
Charania, 32, reported that “the Buss trust — composed of siblings Jeanie, Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse — received majority votes to allow trustees to execute the sale.” Jeanie’s lawyer, Adam Streisand, however, wrote in a letter obtained by CNBC that Jeanie has veto power over the vote and can negate it, making Charania’s reporting that she would be “out” as team governor inaccurate.
“Shams Charania of ESPN falsely reported that the six Buss siblings voted to sell the 17.8% ownership stake in the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, and that my client, Jeanie Buss, is ‘out’ as controlling owner,” he wrote.
Streisand also accused Joey and Jesse Buss of feeding “false, defamatory and pernicious ‘information’” to Charania.
Charania, for his part, stood by his reporting in an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, August 18.
“The first line of the statement from the lawyers said that I ‘reported that the six Buss siblings voted to sell.’ That key sentence right there is inaccurate,” Charania said. “So I fully stand by my reporting. I’ve handled every story with care, including stories with the Lakers, as that statement continues on. …Only the siblings, the lawyers involved, have access to what the trust actually says. The five siblings believe they have the majority votes, that they have the 5-to-1 majority votes to go along with the tag-along provision.
He added that the drama is setting up a “potential legal battle in the courts between one sibling, the controlling governor as of right now, and her five siblings.”
Internal strife is nothing new to the Buss family. Jesse spoke out against Jeanie in November 2025 after she fired him and Joey from their jobs with the Lakers.
“Oftentimes within the organization, it kind of felt like I was being treated like I was working against them,” Jesse told The Athletic at the time. “And, I guess you could say, like an enemy. But the only thing I ever wanted was the most success for this team.”
