For nearly half a century, the Buss family ran a tight ship in Los Angeles as the majority owners of the Los Angeles Lakers. Their run has come to an end after a reported record-breaking deal to sell their majority stake. Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter will now take the helm at the Los Angeles Lakers. Now, Magic Johnson might approve of the new sheriff in town. But where does this change in ownership leave Jeanie Buss?

The Buss family has owned the Lakers since 1979, when Jerry Buss took the reins of the club back in 1979. It was a mammoth deal back then, worth a whopping $67.5 million. But is the Lakers-Buss tryst over? Not exactly. See, Jeanie and the Buss family will still retain a 15% minority stake in the Lakers, per Shams Charania of ESPN. And Jeanie herself will have a more hands-on role with the franchise.

“Jeanie Buss will remain the Lakers’ governor and continue to run the team for “at least a number of years,” sources with knowledge of the deal told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. It was guaranteed as part of the agreement that Buss would remain in charge for the foreseeable future, and Walter fully endorsed this plan, according to sources,” wrote Shams Charania about Jeanie Buss’ future with the organization.

As governor, Jeanie Buss will continue representing the Lakers at NBA Board of Governors meetings, while her role as team president keeps her at the helm of daily operations—preserving her powerful voice in both basketball and business decisions. Despite the shift in majority ownership, this structure ensures leadership continuity, with the Buss family maintaining a 15% minority stake—for now—safeguarding their long-standing legacy within the franchise.

This basically means nothing much will change with Jeanie’s role in the club. But how long did those sources mean by “a number of years”? We’re not exactly sure yet. But this record-breaking, near-$10 billion deal just happened. So it’s natural that we’re in the dark about a few of the details. But Lakers fans, rest assured, the Buss family will still have a relationship with the Purple and Gold.

However, it’s not like nothing will change after such a landmark deal for the 17-time championship-winning franchise. And as Shams Charania revealed Jeanie Buss’ reasoning behind the sale, he also explained its ramifications across sports.

Why Jeanie Buss sold the Los Angeles Lakers and its  far-reaching consequences

Right after this mammoth deal, Shams Charania appeared on ESPN’s SportsCenter to discuss it. On it, he revealed how much stake Jeanie Buss and her family would retain in the Los Angeles Lakers — just over 15%. And then, he and Kevin Negandhi moved on to the real question – why? “What’s the reasoning behind this sale for the Buss family?” the SportsCenter host asked Shams.

“Kevin, 10 billion reasons why,” the ESPN insider said bluntly. “Like I said, Jeanie Buss and [the] Buss family seemed like they were poised to keep this team forever. And there are two executives there actually that are Buss family members. It’s the Buss brothers, Joey and Jesse Buss, that are known in NBA circles as really rising executives in that front office, even as part of ownership. So, for the family to now sell for $10,000,000,000, it’s an astronomical figure,” said Shams.

Shams Charania’s bombshell report that Jeanie Buss once vowed to keep the Lakers “forever” makes the $10 billion sale to Mark Walter all the more jaw-dropping. For years, Buss stood firm on honoring her father’s vision, often reiterating, “When you are on the business side of a team, you have obligations to your partners—your banks, your sponsors, your fans.” Her commitment to keeping the franchise in the family felt immovable. But everything changed after the Celtics shattered records with their $6.1 billion sale earlier this year.

As Magic Johnson put it, “Just like I thought—when the Celtics sold for $6B, I knew the Lakers were worth $10B!” Faced with an offer that rewrote the valuation playbook, Buss saw the opportunity—not as a surrender, but a strategic move to solidify her family’s legacy. She agreed to part with the majority stake, while retaining her role as governor and a 15% minority share, ensuring the Buss name still echoes through the halls of the franchise her father built.

And can you really argue with the Buss family that $10 billion wasn’t worth it? Magic Johnson sure won’t. But after Shams explained the Buss family’s reasoning, he revealed the impact this deal could have.

“It’s something that, of course, is now gonna set an immensely high bar. You think about it. They’re the largest sold franchise in sports history in the world, and that includes soccer teams… That includes NBA teams, MLB teams, anything in the world, $10,000,000,000. 10,000,000,000 reasons why, Kevin,” said Shams, making sure to reiterate that gargantuan number. And he’s not wrong. This deal will have consequences across the world of sports. Never before has a team had a 10-figure price tag on it. And we’ve seen before how once that ball gets rolling, it doesn’t stop.

Now, every owner that sells will use this Lakers deal as a measuring stick to ascertain whether the price was right. You don’t have to be a “mathlete” to know that the Lakers and Jeanie Buss have set a precedent that will likely inflate the prices at which teams sell moving forward. All in all, nothing much changes for Jeanie Buss. But the way sports teams conduct their business? Now, that may never be the same again!