“Our focus has always been what we believe is the best for the Lakers…”
That line came from a joint statementthe Buss siblings released in August, as it became clear a battle was coming over the fate of the trust’s share in the Lakers. This week, the siblings made their stance on selling their minority stake in the team official by filing a formal opposition to Jeanie Buss’ claim that they do not have the right to do so.
It’s the latest update in a story that will not be going away for multiple more
months. But it keeps driving home the same point.
“…the best for the Lakers…”
To be clear, this is not an argument for or against the new owners, Bob Iger and Josh Kushner. They’re bringing plenty of baggage into this role as well.
Instead, this is an argument that it’s time for the Buss family to move on from the franchise. Is that their true intention behind this move? Almost assuredly not. But call it cashing out. Call it spite or pettiness. Whatever the reasoning, they’re arriving at the solution that best serves the franchise.
Compare their messaging to that of Jeanie Buss’s. Her letter from her lawyer focused heavily on court orders mandating the family vote for her to remain the controlling owner of the Lakers. Her petition portrayed her as the one who had to come in once again and save the day from her scheming family. It suggested that the family trust’s best interest is to retain its stake in the team as franchise values skyrocket.
Does that sound like someone who has the Lakers front of mind? One side is doing what’s best for the Lakers — albeit while receiving a massive payday in doing so — while the other side is not.
Dr. Jerry Buss’ reign as owner was fruitful, but his children’s era has been far from it. The team does have a title to its name in that timeframe, but the Buss family has also had twice as many court appearances in that same span.
Long has the league moved past the Buss family. The lack of finances became more and more of an issue in recent years. The sale to Mark Walter seemed to be the perfect opportunity for a graceful exit as they faded into the background.
But that was always a far-fetched pipe dream. Realistically, there was only one way the Buss family was going to leave the franchise and graceful was never going to be the word used. A messy, unceremonious, contentious exit is far more fitting for the Jeanie Buss era.
This latest drama isn’t going away any time soon. The Buss siblings, at least publicly, are leaving open the door for this all to have an amicable ending, as shown with their statement to The Athletic on Wednesday.
“Jimmy, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss, the five of six siblings who voted to sell the Trust’s shares in the Lakers, today filed their formal opposition, demonstrating that Jeanie Buss’s petition is legally and factually baseless,” the siblings said in a statement given to The Athletic.
“While discussions among the siblings continue, their focus remains on facilitating the proposed transaction and the Trust’s participation in it, while ensuring that all beneficiaries, including Jeanie, are treated equally. Today’s filing is a necessary step to protect those interests and ensure the transaction proceeds on schedule.”
Jeanie, meanwhile, is likely motivated by the agreement she made with Mark Walter to not only be the governor for the next five years but, as reported by Dan Woike of The Athletic, to potentially do so even after.
In addition to negotiating a five-year term as the Lakers’ governor following the sale to Walter, Jeanie Buss secured an agreement allowing her to remain the team’s alternate governor beyond that period, provided she or her affiliated entities retain at least a five-percent ownership stake in the Lakers, according to Wednesday’s filing.
Her interests are pretty clear. She wants to remain a controlling voice of the Lakers. It seems to matter little to her that, at this point, fans likely won’t be receptive to her. Yet another messy, public fight between the siblings has sapped any remaining sympathy many fans had for her.
Most, if not all, are ready to move on from the Buss family. It’s a matter of their own doing with Jeanie at the forefront. If you had told Lakers fans in the mid-2000s that a day would come when they would be ready for the Buss family to sell the team, few might have believed you.
But a long history of mismanagement with plenty of in-fighting, selfishness, spite and pettiness mixed in has gotten us to this point. Now, it’s in the best interest of the Lakers for the family to take their hundreds of millions of dollars and move on…
If Jeanie even cares.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
