Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss has filed court documents accusing her siblings, Joey and Jesse Buss, of a "cloak and dagger" campaign to undermine her control of the franchise. The filing, submitted this week in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that her brothers are jealous of their father Jerry Buss's decision to name her as successor and are attempting to sell the family's remaining 17.8% ownership stake without her consent.
Jeanie Buss is asking a judge to block the sale, remove two siblings as co-trustees of the family trust for breach of fiduciary duty, hold them in contempt of court, and seek reimbursement for legal costs. A hearing is scheduled for December 8. The family's stake is just above the NBA's 15% minimum required to retain control; if sold, each sibling would receive an additional $371 million through go-along rights.
The dispute adds another chapter to a long-running feud over the NBA's third-most valuable franchise. In 2017, Jeanie Buss fired her brother Jim Buss as head of basketball operations, prompting him and Johnny Buss to attempt to strip her board seat. The sides settled with Jeanie retaining control. Now, an ownership group led by former Disney CEO Bob Iger and Josh Kushner is reportedly pursuing a $12.5 billion valuation for the team, though Iger previously indicated the plan was for Jeanie Buss to remain governor.
