RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Even though ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers is reportedly changing hands again, Jeanie Buss, the oldest daughter of former franchise owner Dr. Jerry Buss, could still remain the Lakers' governor.
Buss was granted the opportunity to continue in that role for at least five years after Mark Walter , who also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, agreed to purchase a controlling interest in the Lakers for a then-record $10 billion from her family last summer .
Less than a year after that sale was approved by the NBA's Board of Governors , American businessmen Josh Kushner and Bob Iger spearheaded a group that struck a deal to buy the Lakers for a record-smashing $12.5 billion , ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported on Wednesday . And Iger, who's famously served as the Walt Disney Company's CEO, told the California Post's Khobi Price that he and Kushner intend to honor the pact Walter made that allows Buss to extend her run as the Lakers' governor, a tenure that began in 2013 when her father died.
"We have enormous respect and appreciation for Jeanie, her father and what they've contributed to this franchise," Iger said, per the Post. "And we have every intention to honor the agreement that was made between Mark and Jeanie.
"If things change, they'll change, but we're going into this with enormous respect and appreciation for who she is and what she represents in the organization."
Jeanie Buss, 64, has served as the Lakers' governor since her father, Dr. Jerry Buss, died in 2013. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images via Getty Images
Following Walter's purchase of the Lakers, the Buss family retained a minority share of the franchise, "just over 15%, for a period of time," according to ESPN's June 2025 report .
Shelburne reported Wednesday that the newest sale agreement is only for Walter's shares, not the Buss family's remaining shares.
Jeanie Buss, 64, has stayed in the fabric of the organization, whereas Joey and Jesse Buss, the youngest sons of Jerry Buss, were relieved of their front-office duties with the Lakers last fall.
The Lakers have won only one NBA championship in Jeanie Buss' time as team governor. They've missed the playoffs seven times along the way. She has stuck with general manager Rob Pelinka, a former sports agent who has maintained the coveted GM job and added responsibilities since he was selected in 2017 to build rosters that would return L.A. to title contention.
Buss and Pelinka have had their hits, but there have been plenty of misses over the past decade, too . They're tasked with surrounding Luka Dončić with a supporting cast that can help him reach the mountain top.
Dončić is now the undisputed face of a franchise undergoing more change. Kushner and Iger were reportedly pursuing ownership stakes in the NBA's potential expansion franchise in Las Vegas; however, plans quickly changed, with the Post reporting that Kushner and Iger's deal to buy the Lakers from Walter came to fruition in a mere three business days.
"… It was suggested to us that maybe Mark Walter would be interested in selling his stake in the Lakers," Iger told the Post . "And we immediately decided that given the value of the franchise and the iconic nature of the team, that we would be really smart to pursue it."
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