5 Buss Siblings Take Legal Action Against Jeanie amid Pending Lakers Sale, Release Statement

The Los Angeles Lakers' ownership dispute between Jeanie Buss and her five siblings continued on Wednesday.

Jimmy, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss filed their legal opposition to Jeanie Buss' attempt to remove Janie and Joey Buss as trustees and prevent the family trust from selling its 17.8 percent share in the Lakers to the incoming ownership group headed by Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger.

The five siblings released the following statement:

"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. 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."

When the Buss family sold the team to Mark Walter in 2025, the "family retained the right to 'tag along' their shares into any subsequent sale," per The Athletic's Dan Woike. Five of the Buss siblings voted to do just that, while Jeanie Buss abstained and accused her siblings of trying to remove her as team governor.

She petitioned a Los Angeles Superior Court to hold her siblings in contempt of court and to remove Joey and Janie Buss as co-trustees.

Among her arguments was that they violated the family trust, which requires her to remain governor of the Lakers, and that selling the family shares now wouldn't make financial sense given the rising value of the team.

Walter's decision to sell the Lakers just 14 months after purchasing the organization was a major shock in the sport (he also sold his shares in English Premier League club Chelsea amidst a federal fraud investigation into his insurance companies, though he reportedly isn't selling the Los Angeles Dodgers). And it's set off another battle within the Buss family, whose siblings have wrestled for control of the organization since the death of their father, Dr. Jerry Buss, in 2013.