The Buss family is treating us to one final bit of drama on their way out of the Lakers.
The shocking sale of the Lakers back in the spring was not a unanimous decision by the family. At the time, it was reported that the five siblings were split on the decision with Jeanie Buss effectively operating as the swing vote.
On Thursday, we learned which family members were against the sale.
Joey and Jesse Buss were fired from their front office roles as new owner Mark Walter began making changes. The brothers
did not seem to take too kindly to the decision and shared their displeasure through Shams Charania of ESPN, who revealed that Joey and Jesse were the two dissenting votes.
The statement from Jesse at the end of the video is a pretty explosive one:
“Dr. Buss’ idea was for Joey and I to run basketball operations one day. But Jeanie has effectively kept herself in place with her siblings fired.”
He had a very similar tone in an interview with Dan Woike of The Athletic in which he stated Jeanie has “fired everyone” and revealed a growing disconnect with him and the rest of the front office.
“I kind of felt siloed quite a bit, dating back to before, I guess, the 2023 draft. And I kind of didn’t think much of it, but you know, as time went on and there was a lack of communication between not only my sister and I, but you know, the organization as a whole — while I was combating various health issues, I kind of felt like the writing was on the wall.”
It’s an ugly way for things to end, but one that isn’t particularly surprising.
Joey and Jesse fought against the sale of the team likely with the understanding that Walter’s arrival would likely lead to their termination. New owners don’t come in and keep things the same, especially with how the Lakers’ front office has operated.
At best, the front office has been divisive amongst fans. They have wins — particularly in free agency this summer — but also have losses, and really big (Russell Westbrook-sized) ones at that. They had not done enough to warrant keeping the status quo, which the Buss brothers also likely knew.
Joey and Jesse always made sense as the two nay voters. With the way things are structured, if a sibling member passes away, their shares do not go to their children. Instead, they are simply absorbed by the other siblings.
So, the two older siblings favored the sale because money could be passed down if the shares couldn’t. The two youngest siblings had different priorities and voted against the sale, ultimately leaving Jeanie as the swing voter.
Knowing she would keep her role with the team moving forward likely made her decision easier as she voted in favor of the sale. It was a lose-lose scenario as one set of siblings would be upset.
It’s hard to feel too bad for the siblings, though, as Joey and Jesse did just make hundreds of millions of dollars in the sale. The writing was also on the wall of how things would play out, too, when the brothers announced their new company called Buss Sports Capital after the sale was finalized.
Everyone knew where this was going once the votes were cast.
Having said all that, it doesn’t appear things are that bad at least between Jesse and the organization, as he told Woike.
“I don’t think it’s bittersweet because first and foremost I’m a Lakers fan. Even if I’m not part of the organization in any capacity, I’m always gonna root for this team. And obviously I root for, you know, players that Joey and I had a part of bringing in on the team, you know, such as Austin and Rui.”
In the end, Joey and Jesse fought against Mark Walter and lost. And thus, they are out of the front office — though they maintain their minority stake in the team — and the Lakers will move on.
Hopefully now with a little less Buss family drama.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on BlueSky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.
