Jeanie Buss is prepared to enter into a legal battle with her siblings over a potential sale of the family trust's ownership stake of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The changing landscape of the ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers received a new wrinkle after it was announced that the Buss family trust, made of siblings Jeanie, Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse, are planning on selling their minority ownership stake of 17.8% in the Lakers to new majority owners Bob Iger and Josh Kushner after the trust received majority votes to approve the sale.
The trust required four of six votes to enact the tag-along provision of former majority owner Mark Walter's sale of the team, and while this move would officially end the Buss family's nearly 50-year long ownership of the Lakers in some form, it doesn't seem like the sale is set in stone yet.
However, Jeanie Buss, the president of the trust and governor of the Lakers, is reportedly not on board with the sale and is challenging the legality of the sale.
Jay Mohr and Jeanie Buss attend game three of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesJeanie's Challenge
Per a report from Alex Sherman, who acquired a letter from Jeanie Buss' lawyers that sent to the lawyers of her siblings, Buss is demanding that the vote to sell the team is "void" and that because of her status as the controlling shareholder of the trust, her power outweighs any vote, even a majority, that the rest of the trust can make.
Buss also stated that ESPN's Shams Charania, who initially reported the news that the Buss family was selling, had reported false information and that the family trust's sale of the team will not be going through so long as Jeanie Buss is challenging it.
Owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers Jeanie Buss attends the game against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesPer a report from ESPN's Ramona Shellburne, Jeannie Buss was the only sibling to vote against the sale of the ownership stake, setting the stage for a potentially lengthy legal battle kicking off less than two months before the start of the season.
The Buss family has long been embroiled in tension and bitter disputes regarding their level of collective control over the Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss attends media day at the UCLA Health and Training Center in El Segundo, Calif. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY SportsPast Legal Battles
In 2017, Jeanie Buss filed a lawsuit to confirm her control over the team after her brother Johnny Buss attempted to oust Jeanie from the team's board of directors after she fired her brother Jim from his position as vice president of basketball operations as well as general manager Mitch Kupchak, bringing in Magic Johnson as president of basketball operations and Rob Pelinka as general manager.
Magic Johnson (left) and Jeanie Buss at unveiling of statue of former Los Angeles Lakers coach Pat Riley at the Crypto.com Arena. Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesThe lawsuit ended with the Buss siblings conceded lifetime operational control of the team to Jeanie.
As recently as 2025, both Joey and Jesse Buss were fired from their roles in the Lakers' front office after Walter took over the team, so the messy intertwinement of the Buss siblings within operational roles of the franchise is nothing new.
Los Angeles Lakers president Jeanie Buss (left) speaks during ceremony to unveil statue of Los Angeles Lakers former center Shaquille O'Neal at Staples Center. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsJeanie Buss' legal argument, per Shellburne, is that the family trusts' shares can't be sold without the consent of the three co-trustees, Jeanie, Janie and Joey Buss, and without Jeanie's consent in the process, the sale can't go through.
The Lakers may be working on finalizing their roster before the season begins but behind closed doors there will be yet another battle from between the Buss siblings for the soul of the team that their father Jerry purchased in 1979.
