The Buss family’s Los Angeles Lakers battle is no longer a quiet disagreement. Jeanie Buss stands against her five siblings, who voted to sell 17.8% of the remaining family shares. She is determined to keep her position and control of the franchise. But holding onto power could come at a steep cost. And LA might not be ready for it.
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Jason Timpf stated on Hoop Tonight, “The bottom line is, Jeanie Buss doing this is not good for the future of the Lakers. You have 17 championships worth of pressure there. You want your CEO, your leader, the person running the show, to be the best person for the job.”
He added, “And right now, what Jeanie Buss is is a representation of a family that is tearing itself apart. Just simply based on that circumstance, she’s the wrong person to be in the chair. So I would argue, regardless of what happens, whether they keep the 17% or not, Jeanie Buss cannot be governor of the Lakers anymore.”
According to Timpf, Buss has become tied to an older era of Lakers basketball that no longer serves the franchise. Even if she is legally or morally right, that may not matter. The priority should be the team’s future. Sometimes, leaders must step aside when their continued presence could hold an organization back from moving forward.
But the drama isn’t just about Bob Iger and Josh Kushner emerging as the new owners, or the Buss family voting to sell the remaining of their shares. Jeanie Buss is locked in a fierce legal fight with her family over control of the Lakers. The outcome remains uncertain for now. However, she appears determined to protect her position as governor. That could include purchasing enough family shares to preserve the minimum ownership stake needed to retain her role, according to The Athletic.
Sam Amick and Dan Woike reported, “Could there be a way for the rest of the siblings to sell and Jeanie to remain as governor? That would require her finding a way to still own at least 15 percent of the shares, but it is possible. Per a league source, Jeanie would be open to exploring that scenario.”
Now, here’s the thing: Jeanie Buss had a five-year guarantee tied to Mark Walter’s purchase of the Lakers’ controlling stake. That arrangement was expected to continue under Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, though Iger has suggested it could evolve.
Meanwhile, the NBA rules add another hurdle. A governor needs at least 15% ownership. The Buss siblings collectively hold 17.8%, so Jeanie may need to buy their entire stake to keep her role. Whether Iger and Kushner would support that remains uncertain.
Following the revelation that Mark Walter was stepping away, making way for Iger-Kushner to take control for a $12.5 valuation, the inner conflict of the Buss family came under the spotlight. And it surely doesn’t look like things are going to resolve any time soon.