Jim Buss once tried to offer Kobe Bryant shares of Lakers

Here we have some further evidence that Jim Buss was in over his head during his time as Los Angeles Lakers head of basketball operations.

According to a feature by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne on Tuesday, Buss attempted to offer shares of the franchise to Lakers legend Kobe Bryant last season as “a show of appreciation.” But the family trust reportedly does not allow for that sort of transfer, something that Buss apparently didn’t understand or bother to research.

Buss was relieved of his duties by his sister Jeanie in February, triggering quite an ugly legal battle. While the gesture for Bryant would have been similar to the way his father, the late Dr. Jerry Buss, gave Magic Johnson five percent of the Lakers upon Johnson’s retirement, Buss obviously didn’t grasp how the ownership structure had changed since then, giving us yet another example of just how out of touch he was when he was running the team.