Jeanie Buss’ five siblings are not giving any ground on their decision to sell the family’s remaining shares in the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss issued a new statement on Tuesday in response to Jeanie attempting to block the sale of the Lakers via legal means. While not mentioning Jeanie directly, the statement makes it very clear that the five siblings have no plans to back away from the proposed sale.
“Johnny, Jimmy, Janie, Joey and Jesse have made the decision to sell the family’s remaining stake, and we remain united in that decision,” the statement reads. “We intend to move forward thoughtfully, respectfully and through the appropriate process.
“We have tremendous respect for Bob Iger and Josh Kushner and believe they understand what the Lakers represent to Los Angeles and our incredibly loyal fan base. We are confident they will honor everything this franchise stands for while building upon the foundation our father created.”
Statement from Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss after attorney of Jeanie Buss made clear she will battle her family members on selling their remaining 17.8% Lakers ownership stake:
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 18, 2026
The Los Angeles Lakers have never been just a basketball team. They have been one of the…
The Buss family still holds a 17.8 percent share of the Lakers, which has allowed Jeanie to serve as the team’s primary governor despite no longer being a principal owner. Their share of the Lakers is held in a family trust, and the five Buss siblings maintain that the approval of four of the six beneficiaries of the trust would be sufficient for the decision to be taken. Jeanie Buss and her attorney have disputed that, and appear willing to go to court over it.
The schism between the Buss siblings is nothing new, as Jeanie previously had a role in firing three of her brothers from the organization. This dispute is playing out much more publicly, and an intense legal battle appears inevitable at this point.
