Lakers Ownership Drama: Jeanie Buss Fires Back at Siblings

The Lakers ownership drama just got messier, because Jeanie Buss is accusing her five siblings of a "false flag operation" while a record sale of the franchise inches toward the finish line. According to the Orange County Register, the family fight is not expected to derail the deal itself.

What Jeanie Buss says in her court filing

Earlier this week, in a Los Angeles Superior Court filing, the Lakers governor responded to her siblings' petition from two weeks earlier. She accused them of using the media to shape a story around their push to sell the Buss Family Trust's remaining seventeen point eight percent minority stake using go-along rights.

"The entire episode is their own false flag operation," the twenty-seven-page filing states, as reviewed by the Southern California News Group. It also describes "cloak and dagger" backroom votes shared with the media rather than with her, which she argues was meant to force her hand.

Her lawyers want co-trustees Janie and Joey Buss removed and held in contempt, and they argue the siblings' vote to sell is void under a twenty-seventeen court order tied to the trust. Jeanie asked that Jesse, Johnny and Jim Buss also be held in contempt for aiding and abetting.

The backstory matters here. The Buss family sold a majority of the franchise to Mark Walter at a ten billion dollar valuation, and the family kept a minority stake so Jeanie could stay in charge. Then Walter agreed to flip the team to Kushner and Iger at a higher price, and that jump is what set off the sibling showdown over the leftover shares.

Why that stake decides her job

The math is simple. To stay Lakers governor, Jeanie needs to be part of an ownership group that holds at least fifteen percent of the team, and right now that group is the Buss Family Trust her siblings want to wind down.

If the trust sells its remaining shares to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, each sibling would collect three hundred seventy-one million dollars, the Register reports. That payday explains why the vote went five to one, with Jeanie on the other side.

The five siblings say her petition is "legally and factually baseless." In a statement to the news group, they said their focus remains on facilitating the proposed transaction while making sure all beneficiaries, including Jeanie, are treated equally.

The twelve and a half billion dollar sale moves ahead

Meanwhile, the bigger deal is getting closer. Lakers owner Mark Walter and Thrive Capital founder Josh Kushner met Thursday to finalize the transaction and are expected to sign the formal agreement soon, sources told ESPN, as carried by ESPN Tri-Cities. The deal values the franchise at twelve and a half billion dollars.

A source told the Southern California News Group that Kushner has raised all the money needed to finish his and Iger's purchase, which answers earlier questions about funding. The sale then goes to the NBA for review.

Approval could come as soon as the league's November Board of Governors meeting, although a later date is more likely while the NBA does its due diligence, according to the Register.

What to watch next

The NBA also has a say. Any new owner has to clear the league, and the league wants to know who controls the team day to day. So even if the sale signs soon, the question of who sits as governor, and whether Jeanie is still in that chair, stays open until a judge rules on the trust.

There is also the on-court angle. Luka Doncic is still lighting up box scores, and the team keeps playing through all this noise. For players and fans, the ownership saga is the background music to a new season, and it is not going away before the December hearing.

The key date is December eighth, when Jeanie and her siblings are due back in Los Angeles Superior Court. A judge will weigh whether the trust can sell its stake or must be preserved under the older court order.

For fans, this is a rare moment when a sports business story reads like a family soap opera. A record price, a governor fighting to keep her seat and siblings who stand to cash out make the Lakers ownership drama one to follow. More sports coverage lives in the sports section of GenZ NewZ.