Brothers turn the tables on Jeanie Buss with Lakers sale

Jeanie Buss. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brothers turn the tables on Jeanie Buss with Lakers sale

By Sean Keane | Last updated Aug 17, 2026 5:47 PM ET

Jeanie Buss won't remain team governor of the Los Angeles Lakers after all.

One week after a team led by Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner purchased Mark Walter's majority share of the Lakers, the Buss siblings voted to sell their remaining portion of the team. It's a windfall for the Buss siblings and perhaps a chance to take revenge on their sister.

Jeanie Buss fired or sued most of her siblings

The Buss family has owned the Lakers since 1979, but there's been drama since the death of patriarch Dr. Jerry Buss in 2013, which left the family's 66 percent share of the team split between six of his children.

Jeanie Buss assumed the title of team governor in 2013. In 2017, she fired her brother Jim Buss as president of basketball operations, then sued Jim and her brother Johnny. Subsequently, they were replaced as co-trustees by siblings Janie and Joey Buss.

Last year, younger brothers Joey and Jesse Buss were outvoted, 4-2, as the family agreed to sell a controlling interest in the team to Walter. A few months later, both Joey and Jesse were fired. As for Jeanie, she was allowed to stay on as team governor through 2030, which may have cost the family hundreds of millions.

Follow-up reporting: The tag-along clause was executed after the other five siblings sent Jeanie signatures stating that they wanted the family to sell its shares, according to a source. https://t.co/OD06hOjVah
— Yaron Weitzman (@YaronWeitzman) August 17, 2026

But after the family sold their remaining 17.8 percent of the team on Monday, Jeanie Buss can't be team governor, since she's no longer an owner of the team. Reportedly, she was the only sibling who didn't want to sell.

Also: Am told by multiple sources that Lakers governor Jeanie Buss did not vote to sell. The other five siblings did. https://t.co/RpxWef5l6U
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) August 17, 2026

The Buss siblings cashed in and took revenge

After effectively firing four of her five siblings from their jobs with the Lakers, it's not a surprise that those siblings would take their chance to remove Jeanie from her job as well. Especially since doing so would mean splitting about 2.23 billion, based on the team's new $12.5B valuation, which could be around $370M per sibling.

This also simplifies matters for the Lakers' new owners. While Iger said he would go along with Walter's deal with Buss to keep her in place, he and Kushner now can choose the team's new governor themselves. That also means team president Rob Pelinka and head coach JJ Redick have less job security, having been hired by the departed Jeanie Buss.

It took almost a decade, but Jim and Johnny Buss finally got payback against their sister, while Joey and Jess Buss got more immediate revenge.

For the first time in 47 years, no Buss will be running the Lakers. And it's because the majority of the Buss siblings managed to fire each other.

Sean Keane

Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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