Buss Family Conflict Emerges Over Lakers Ownership Sale

By the Editorial Team · Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Jeanie Buss is opposing her siblings' plan to sell the Buss family trust’s 17.8 percent ownership stake in the Los Angeles Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, which would end her role as the team’s governor. This dispute underscores ongoing family tensions and could impact the future leadership and ownership structure of the franchise valued at $12.5 billion.

Jeanie Buss, the current governor of the Los Angeles Lakers, is challenging a proposed sale of the family’s remaining minority ownership stake in the franchise, according to a letter obtained Monday. The dispute involves a plan by her siblings to sell the approximately 17.8 percent interest held by the Buss family trust to venture capitalist Josh Kushner and former Disney CEO Bob Iger.

The siblings reportedly voted to proceed with the sale of the interest, which would effectively end Jeanie Buss’s role as Lakers governor, a position that requires ownership of at least 15 percent of the team. Jeanie Buss’s attorney, Adam Streisand, asserted in the letter that any transfer of the family trust’s stake must have the approval of the current co-trustees—Jeanie herself, along with Janie and Joey Buss.

Jeanie Buss has served as the Lakers governor since the death of her father, Jerry Buss, in 2013. She played a key role in the family’s decision last year to sell the majority controlling interest in the team to Dodgers owner Mark Walter, in a landmark deal valuing the team at $10 billion. That valuation set a new standard for professional sports franchises.

Walter, who is currently the subject of a federal tax investigation, recently reached an agreement to sell approximately 65 percent of the Lakers to Kushner and Iger at an increased valuation of $12.5 billion. The deal, announced earlier this month, projected that Jeanie Buss would remain as governor until at least 2030.

The internal family dynamics among the Buss siblings have been strained since their father passed away. Jeanie Buss dismissed her brother Jim from his role as head of basketball operations in 2017. Additionally, not all the siblings supported the initial sale of the team to Walter. In November, Joey and Jesse Buss were both removed from their front-office positions with the franchise.

The ongoing dispute over the sale of the family’s remaining stake highlights the complex intersection of family relationships and business interests within the ownership structure of one of the NBA’s most storied franchises.

This article was reported by synthesizing coverage from multiple independent news outlets to present a balanced, unbiased account. Read about our editorial standards. Spotted an error? Let us know.