Josh Kushner has learned this year that things rarely move on schedule when they need to. In late July, the Thrive Capital founder was part of a private investors group circling a stake in FIFA’s World Cup, an idea that collapsed after soccer’s confederations objected and FIFA president Gianni Infantino shelved it. Weeks later, Kushner pivoted to something far bigger: a record $12.5 billion deal, alongside former Disney chief Bob Iger, to buy the Los Angeles Lakers from Mark Walter. But before the final piece lands, Kushner may have to accept a hard fact.

Part of the ongoing holdup stems from the other LA executive in the room: Jeanie Buss, the Lakers’ governor since 2013, who’s spent the past month surprising her five siblings. Instead of accepting their vote to sell the family’s remaining stake to Kushner and Iger, she went to a Los Angeles courtroom and asked a judge to declare that vote meaningless. Now, while that legal hearing is set to happen later this year, it could play a role in the NBA’s Board of Governors meeting.

They’re set to convene in New York this week. But despite arguably being the biggest item on Adam Silver’s agenda, league sources told Sports Business Journal’s Tom Friend that the Lakers’ sale is not expected to reach a vote. Under the rulebook, at least 23 of the 30 representatives must approve it.

Buss will likely walk through the doors on Monday, as she has since the 1990s, reflecting her longstanding relationship with Adam Silver and “universal support” from the rest of the board. An earlier SBJ report by Friend even mentioned that Silver would “try to help smooth over” the Buss family chaos over the summer.

Jerry Buss structured his family’s Lakers ownership through a trust, with control ultimately divided among his six children after his death in 2013, in an arrangement that has sparked legal fights. Jeanie removed her brother Jim from basketball operations in 2017, and a court order from that dispute still governs how the trust’s shares can move.

On Aug. 17, five of the six siblings, Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse, told ESPN they had voted to sell their remaining 17.8% of the team into the Kushner-Iger deal. Jeanie’s lawyer answered within days that no sale could happen without her sign-off as a co-trustee, writing that any such vote “would be and is void.”

By late August, Jeanie had gone further, petitioning the Los Angeles Superior Court to block the sale outright and remove two of her siblings as co-trustees, alleging they signed the resolution without telling her. The hearing was initially scheduled for November 5 but has since been pushed back to December 8, well after this week’s board meetings wrap up.

NBA rules require a governor to hold at least 15% of a franchise, and giving up even a sixth of the family’s stake would drop her below that threshold. As for Kushner-Iger, the pair was also chasing an NBA expansion franchise in Las Vegas when, as Iger later explained, someone floated the idea that Walter might be open to selling the Lakers instead, and the two sides had a deal within three days.

Walter had owned the team for less than a year at that point, having bought a controlling interest from the Buss family in the fall of 2025 at a $10 billion valuation. Less than a year after Walter’s deal, the same LA franchise is now valued at $12.5 billion. While its ownership witnesses significant change, the business within the front office appears to be moving ahead at a steady pace.

Only a week ago, a hiring report claimed the Purple and Gold were in for Eric Amsler of the Miami Heat, ending his successful two-decade stint under Pat Riley’s tutelage. He was the second general manager Rob Pelinka hired this summer, after Rohan Ramadas. The Lakers also hired Keith D’Amelio to be its director of integrated performance systems.

“Eric and Keith bring a wealth of experience that will add valuable expertise across our organization,” Pelinka said. “Eric is a highly respected talent evaluator with an extensive background in scouting and player personnel, while Keith brings a unique perspective at the intersection of athlete health, performance, sports science and technology. We are excited to welcome them both to the Lakers.”

D’Amelio, whose role will be infused with the medical team, is a welcome addition to the Purple and Gold after a heartbreaking end to last season, largely because the team lost Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves to injuries at the worst possible time. Meanwhile, the Amsler acquisition brings to mind a common connection with Kushner. Miami. A distant factor that could get in the way of the takeover.

One more potential roadblock for Josh Kushner and the Lakers

Josh Kushner might be waiting for the NBA’s Board of Governors’ approval, but he still has a personal business matter to sort out. He has to sell his minority stake in the Miami Heat, which he bought in 2024, after already stepping away from a similar stake in the Memphis Grizzlies. But why?

Although minority owners of an NBA team have minimal involvement in day-to-day operations, Kushner, who is buying the Lakers in partnership with Bob Iger, cannot, on paper, own financial equity in more than one NBA franchise at once.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the CBA and NBA playbook told The Athletic that Kushner “will be required” to sell his Heat stake first, implying that no exception would be granted in this case. For now, though, the Micky Arison-owned team has announced no buyer, either internally or externally, for Kushner’s stake.