Back in October, the Los Angeles Lakers were sold to Dodgers’ owner Mark Walter in a historic sale. The blockbuster sale sent shockwaves through the NBA, with fans and reporters speculating about the future direction of one of basketball’s most storied franchises.
After the deal, long-time Lakers’ co-owner and daughter of former owner, Dr. Jerry Buss, Jeanie Buss made plans to stay involved with the team. Now, whether or not Buss remains with the Lakers is a major question.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne Explains Jeanie Buss’ Future
After Walters ran into some problems and decided to sell the team to a group led by Joshua Kushner, the younger brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner (which has led some to question if Trump will be involved), and Bob Iger, the former CEO of Disney, questions have risen about Buss’ place with the franchise, something she has been involved since 1979 when Dr. Buss bought the team.
Despite these major changes, the Lakers’ core identity remains firmly anchored in the Buss family’s legacy. The Lakers already broke ties with two other Buss family executives back in November.
“The Los Angeles Lakers are reorganizing their basketball operations department and terminating executives Joey and Jesse Buss from their respective front office positions, effective immediately, the brothers told ESPN,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.
“The Los Angeles Lakers are being sold to American businessman Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a record breaking price over $12 billion, multiple sources told ESPN,” Shelburne explained.
“Kushner and Iger were involved in the expansion process in Las Vegas, but a stunning turn, they pivoted to make an aggressive offer to buy the Lakers from Mark Walter, who had purchased a controlling interest in the team from the Buss family last year.”
However, according to Shelburne, they are not receiving Buss’ remaining shares and reported that the $12.5 million deal is only for Walters’ portion of the team.
“This sale agreement is only for Mark Walter’s shares, not the Buss family’s remaining shares,” explained Shelburne. So once again, it looks like Buss will remain with the franchise she has been associated with since she was a teenager.
In Walters’ statement about selling the team, he gave a special shoutout to Buss.
“Owning the Los Angeles Lakers has been one of the great honors of my life – an extraordinary investment, but what I will carry with me is the community, the fans, and a city that treats this team as family. I am grateful to Jeanie Buss, the Buss family, the players, and the staff for welcoming me into this chapter. The Lakers belong to Los Angeles, and I have every confidence the best is still ahead.”
It’s been a crazy offseason for the Lakers with LeBron James leaving for Philadelphia and the acquisitions of Jazz center Walker Kessler, as well as other potential key pieces in Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle, Sandro Mamukelashvili, and Quentin Grimes.
However, with Buss being so familiar with the Lakers, it makes sense that she will likely still be sticking around and can obviously help Kushner and Iger’s transition into ownership, much like she seemingly did with Walters.
Regardless of the changes at the top, the Lakers’ commitment to winning and passionate fan base ensure that the franchise’s legacy will remain at the forefront of the NBA for years to come.
