Buss siblings file formal opposition to Jeanie Buss over $2.2bn Lakers sale

Five siblings of the Buss family have formally lodged court papers opposing Jeanie Buss's attempt to stop the sale of the family's remaining stake in the Los Angeles Lakers, escalating an internal battle over billions of dollars and control of the franchise.

Jimmy, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss submitted a 36-page rebuttal on Wednesday, arguing that the Lakers governor is acting out of self-interest rather than fulfilling her fiduciary duties to the Buss family trust. The siblings want to exercise a tag-along provision to sell the trust's remaining 17.82% interest to an incoming ownership group fronted by Josh Kushner and Bob Iger. That transaction values the team at $12.5 billion, leaving the trust in line for a $2.2 billion payout.

In a joint statement, the five siblings described Jeanie Buss's earlier petition as "legally and factually baseless", adding that while family discussions are continuing, their legal move was a "necessary step to protect those interests and ensure the transaction proceeds on schedule."

The clash over controlling rights

The dispute broke into the open in August when Jeanie Buss, through her lawyer Adam Streisand, submitted a 97-page petition to halt the sale. Streisand argued that a 2017 court order bound the family to maintain Jeanie as the franchise's controlling governor, which he claimed prevented any sale of the trust's holdings without her consent.

The 2017 ruling appointed Joey and Janie Buss as co-trustees alongside Jeanie and ordered the trustees to take reasonably available measures to protect her leadership post. In Wednesday's response, the five siblings countered that the earlier order applied strictly to ordinary trustee governance and did not bar beneficiaries from exercising their independent right to dissolve the trust.

The Walter agreement and the sale

The siblings also turned their attention to an arrangement struck in October 2025, when Mark Walter acquired the franchise. As part of that deal, Jeanie secured a side agreement allowing her to remain director and controlling owner for five years, subject to NBA approval.

According to the siblings' filing, that side arrangement created an irreconcilable conflict of interest. They contend that she is fighting the sale simply to preserve that personal appointment, defying the majority vote of the beneficiaries who want the $2.2 billion cash distribution.

Kushner and Iger struck a deal with Walter to buy the Lakers at the $12.5 billion valuation, and the NBA board of governors is expected to vote on approving the incoming ownership group in November. A court hearing on the dispute between the siblings, initially set for 5 November, has been rescheduled to 8 December to accommodate Streisand's diary.