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Lakers Ownership Crisis: Jeanie Buss Fights Siblings In $12.5 Billion Sale

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Jeanie Buss is challenging her siblings’ decision to sell the Buss family’s remaining 17.8% Lakers stake to incoming owners Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, escalating a dispute over control of the NBA franchise. ESPN reported Monday that five siblings supported selling the stake at the same $12.5 billion valuation attached to Kushner and Iger’s proposed acquisition from Mark Walter. Buss’s attorney, Adam Streisand, later disputed the transaction, arguing that a 2017 court order and the family trust require approval from co-trustees Jeanie, Janie and Joey Buss and require preservation of enough ownership for Jeanie to remain controlling owner. The Lakers transaction still requires NBA Board of Governors approval, scheduled for September 15-16. The proposed purchase would give Kushner and Iger about 83% ownership if completed. The dispute could determine whether the Buss family ends its 47-year association with the Lakers, which began when Jerry Buss purchased the team in 1979.

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Timeline of Events

May 1979 — Jerry Buss purchased Lakers, beginning the family’s ownership era.
February 2013 — Jerry Buss died, leaving six children sharing family control.
2017 — Buss siblings fought publicly over Jeanie’s controlling-owner position.
March 2017 — Court order reinforced Jeanie’s controlling-owner status within family governance.
June 2025 — Buss family agreed selling majority Lakers stake to Walter.
October 30, 2025 — NBA approved Walter’s majority Lakers ownership transaction unanimously.
August 12, 2026 — Iger and Kushner agreed buying Lakers for $12.5 billion.
August 17, 2026 — Five Buss siblings supported selling remaining 17.8% Lakers stake.
August 17, 2026 — Jeanie Buss’s attorney challenged the family’s proposed sale legally.
August 18, 2026 — Competing legal interpretations continued surrounding trust authority and ownership.
September 15-16, 2026 — NBA governors are scheduled considering proposed ownership transaction.
Coming months — Courts could determine whether trustees may authorize disputed sale.
If approved — Iger and Kushner would control approximately 83% of Lakers.
If blocked — Jeanie could potentially retain controlling-owner status temporarily pending litigation.
Over years — Dispute could reshape Lakers governance, management, and family legacy.

News Intelligence

Immediate US impact: Lakers fans face uncertainty over ownership, leadership, and franchise direction.
Possible long-term US impact: The dispute could reshape sports ownership, governance, and franchise valuations.
Most affected groups: Lakers fans, Buss heirs, team employees, NBA officials, investors, owners.
Reader priority: Prioritize court documents, NBA decisions, direct statements, and independently verified reporting.