Jeanie Buss challenges siblings over Lakers ownership deal

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A new battle is unfolding within the Buss family over ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Lakers governor **Jeanie Buss is challenging her siblings' reported plan to sell the family's remaining 17.8% stake in the franchise to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, potentially putting the team's ownership transition in legal jeopardy.

Jeanie says the sale cannot move forward

An attorney representing Jeanie Buss has filed paperwork in Los Angeles Superior Court challenging the proposed transaction.

Her lawyer argues that the sale would violate the terms of the family trust and a 2017 court agreement that established Jeanie as the Lakers' controlling owner. Under that arrangement, certain trustees—including Jeanie—would need to approve a transaction involving the family's stake.

Jeanie also needs to maintain at least 15% ownership to remain the Lakers' controlling governor under NBA rules.

Her siblings reportedly want to cash out

The five other Buss siblings reportedly voted to sell the family's remaining stake, which is valued at roughly $2.2 billion based on the Lakers' reported $12.5 billion valuation. Jeanie opposed the move.

The dispute comes less than a year after the Buss family sold its majority interest in the Lakers to billionaire Mark Walter for approximately $10 billion. The NBA approved that transaction in October 2025, with Jeanie remaining as the team's governor.

A complicated ownership transition

Walter subsequently agreed to sell the Lakers to Iger and Kushner in a deal valued at $12.5 billion, which would represent another major change in ownership in a very short period. The transaction still requires NBA approval.

Iger and Kushner had indicated that they intended to keep Jeanie in her leadership role, but the latest family dispute has complicated that plan.

This isn't the first Buss family battle

The dispute echoes a previous family fight from 2017, when Jeanie went to court after her brothers Jim and Johnny Buss attempted to restructure the Lakers' board.

That conflict ultimately ended with an agreement confirming Jeanie as the franchise's controlling owner.

Bottom line

The latest dispute could determine whether the Buss family's final 17.8% Lakers stake can be sold as planned. Jeanie Buss is fighting to preserve her controlling position and says the proposed transaction cannot legally proceed without the required approvals. Meanwhile, her siblings appear determined to sell their remaining interest, setting up another potentially significant legal battle over one of the most valuable franchises in sports.