The Los Angeles Lakers’ ownership battle has taken another dramatic turn. Jeanie Buss is facing a united front from her five siblings after they voted to sell the Buss family’s remaining stake in the franchise. But according to ESPN insider Ramona Shelburne, Buss may still have the authority to block the sale.
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The dispute centers on the structure of the Buss family trust and Buss’ position as its controlling owner.
“It’s five against zero,” Shelburne said on the Rich Eisen Show. “She just didn’t vote. She didn’t respond to the vote because she’s like, ‘You don’t have the authority to do this. I’m not even going to respond to say there is a vote here. I have the ultimate authority.’”
The ESPN analyst believes Jeanie Buss has a legitimate argument under the current structure of the family trust. The Lakers shares held by the Buss family are collectively owned through the trust. Buss is the controlling owner of those shares, rather than simply holding a separate individual stake alongside each of her siblings.
“I think she’s right as the trust stands. It’s not like she has 3% and Jim has 3%, and it’s owned collectively by the family trust, and she is the controlling owner of those shares…but the pressure on her to step aside is now exponential, especially after that 5-0 vote and the sale last week. She’s kind of on an island now. And I think she may have the legal grounds, but it’s hard to stay on that island with all the outside pressure that’s on her.”
Jeanie Buss has been the Lakers’ governor since her father, Jerry Buss, passed away in 2013, and was then made the controlling owner in 2017. She continued in that role after Mark Walter became the franchise’s majority owner in 2025. Under the agreement, Buss was allowed to remain the team’s governor through 2030. Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner, who are part of the group purchasing a majority stake from Walter, have previously indicated that they intended to honor that agreement.
The latest conflict erupted Monday when the five Buss siblings announced that they had secured the necessary votes to sell the remaining 17.8% stake in the Lakers to Iger and Kushner’s new ownership group. Buss was the only sibling who did not vote in favor of the transaction.
Hours later, her attorney issued a statement declaring the decision “null and void.” The lawyer cited the terms of the family trust and a 2017 court ruling, arguing that the co-trustees must take all reasonably available actions, including voting the trust’s shares, to ensure Buss is elected as the Lakers’ controlling owner each year during her lifetime.
Her five siblings—Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse—have rejected that position. On Tuesday, they released a statement reaffirming their decision to sell the family’s remaining stake.
“The Los Angeles Lakers have never been just a basketball team. They have been one of the greatest privileges of our lives,” the siblings said. “Our focus has always been on what we believe is best for the Lakers, the fans who have supported this franchise for generations and the greater Los Angeles community.”
Jeanie Buss has effectively found herself alone in the family’s fight over the Lakers. Shelburne believes she may have the legal authority, but the pressure surrounding her has intensified after the unanimous 5-0 vote. With all five siblings publicly backing the sale, the battle over the franchise’s future is far from settled.