Jeanie Buss, the governor of the Los Angeles Lakers, has initiated legal action to prevent her five siblings from selling their remaining stakes in the NBA team. The dispute centers on the potential sale of the Buss family's 17.8% ownership share in the franchise, which is valued at $12.5 billion as part of a larger takeover agreement.
Buss filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court on August 26, 2026, challenging a vote by her siblings to sell their shares to Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger, who have agreed to acquire the majority stake from Mark Walter. In court documents, Buss described her siblings' actions as "devious" and stated she was "blinded" by the attempted sale, claiming a family statement about the sale was "knowingly false" as she was neither consulted nor informed.
The petition seeks five court orders, including the surcharge and removal of siblings Joey and Janie Buss as co-trustees for alleged breach of fiduciary duty, and holding them in contempt of court. It also asks for James, Johnny, and Jesse Buss to be held in contempt and liable for aiding and abetting the actions. Additionally, the petition requests that trustees be instructed to comply with a 2017 court order and that the trustee resolution approving the sale be declared void.
A court hearing is scheduled for November 5. The Buss siblings who voted to sell stated in a family announcement on August 17 that they had "decided as a family to sell the remaining Buss Family Trust shares to the Bob Iger group as part of the ongoing transaction." They added, "it is time to use this opportunity to move on and exit gracefully while we still can."
Despite Jeanie Buss's legal challenge and her 5-1 vote opposition, the five siblings later told ESPN they "remain united" in their decision. They emphasized their focus on "what we believe is best for the Lakers, the fans who have supported this franchise for generations and the greater Los Angeles community."
Jeanie Buss has been the team governor since the death of her father, Jerry Buss, in 2013. NBA rules require a team governor to hold at least a 15% stake in the team. Buss is asserting that her approval is necessary for any sale, referencing a 2017 court ruling that stipulated no sale could be "effectuated without approval by the co-trustees, i.e. Jeanie, Janie and Joey Buss."
Her lawyer, Adam Streisand, had previously demanded that her siblings publicly acknowledge Jeanie Buss as the "Controlling Owner of the Los Angeles Lakers" and refrain from taking any action on the vote to sell the 17.8% stake.