The Buss family’s battle over control of the Los Angeles Lakers has erupted again, with Jeanie Buss fighting to preserve her position as the franchise’s governor.
The conflict follows a vote by five Buss siblings to sell the family’s remaining 17.8% stake to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger after Mark Walter agreed to sell his controlling interest at a $12.5 billion valuation. Jeanie was reportedly the only sibling who did not support the move.
Her attorney has challenged the vote, arguing that the proposed transaction is “void” under the terms governing the family trust. The stakes are significant for Jeanie because NBA rules require her to maintain at least a 15% ownership interest to remain Lakers governor.
Family battles over control are nothing new. After Jerry Buss died in 2013, tensions eventually exploded in 2017 when Jim and Johnny Buss attempted to reshape the Lakers board after Jeanie removed Jim as head of basketball operations. Jeanie went to court, stopped the effort and strengthened her control of the franchise.
Last year, she agreed to sell the Lakers’ majority stake to Walter at a $10 billion valuation while arranging to remain governor through 2030. Joey and Jesse Buss were subsequently removed from their basketball operations positions.
Now the family alliances have shifted once again. With Walter already moving to sell his controlling interest to Iger and Kushner, Jeanie is fighting to protect the authority her previous agreement was supposed to preserve.
The dispute leaves the future of nearly five decades of Buss family involvement with the Lakers uncertain. Jerry Buss purchased the franchise in 1979, and the organization won 11 championships under his family’s ownership.
The latest fight has become another chapter in a long-running struggle over control, with billions of dollars, family trusts and the Lakers’ leadership hanging in the balance.
As the comparison to House of the Dragon puts it, “You can name an heir, but you can’t make the family bend the knee.”
The Lakers have become real-life ‘House of the Dragon’ – and Jeanie Buss is fighting for her throne https://t.co/fTyQwpE1u6 pic.twitter.com/h37CJV6oiA
— New York Post (@nypost) August 18, 2026
