Five Buss Siblings Oppose Jeanie Buss’s Lakers Sale Challenge

Five Buss siblings have formally opposed Jeanie Buss’s effort to block the sale of the family trust’s remaining stake in the Los Angeles Lakers, escalating a dispute over whether that stake can join a proposed change in the team’s ownership. The Los Angeles Superior Court has not resolved the disagreement, and the proposed transaction still awaits an expected NBA Board of Governors vote. The filing was made Wednesday, October 7, by Jimmy, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss. They voted in August to sell the trust’s reported 17.8% holding alongside the majority stake being sold by Mark Walter to an ownership group led by Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger. The siblings’ response argues that the trust can use a tagalong provision to participate in the transaction. They say their vote allows the trust to sell and distribute proceeds among its beneficiaries. Jeanie Buss’s August petition contests that position. Her filing argues that the siblings’ sale vote is invalid under a 2017 court order requiring trustees to take reasonable steps to maintain her as the Lakers’ controlling governor.