The Los Angeles Lakers have been at the center of the basketball world due to all of the drama surrounding the team’s ownership. One of the biggest questions is whether Jeanie Buss will continue to be able to serve as Lakers governor as her five siblings have agreed to sell their minority shares to the same people who purchased the majority shares of the franchise, Bob Iger and Josh Kushner.
Should the Buss siblings be able to sell of their shares, it would force Jeanie out of her position as Lakers governor, as at least a 15% stake is required to operate in that role. One person who is hopeful that things will work out in her favor is former Lakers player Matt Barnes.
“I love Jeanie. Absolutely love Jeanie and what she’s about,” Barnes told Lakers Nation at the 26th annual Harold & Carole Pump Foundation celebrity dinner. “Unfortunate that family drama — and I’ve had it — has to play out publicly, but I support Jeanie 100%. I think she’s done a great job of trying to continue to make the Lakers stand for what her dad wanted them to stand for. I hope she continues to stay on the management side and things go her way.”
There certainly looks to be some legal battles ahead within the Buss family in order to sort this all out and how everything will turn out is unclear. Regardless, it is nice to see someone like Barnes backing Jeanie publicly and shows the kinds of relationships she has been able to build with so many players over the years.
Jeanie has been involved with the Lakers in some capacity for more than 40 years and does not want to give that up just for the sake of money. At the same time, the rest of the Buss siblings no longer have that connection with the franchise or work there, so looking to cash out at a record-breaking valuation makes complete sense from their side as well.
As Barnes said, it is unfortunate that this family drama has to play out in front of the public and hopefully it is a matter that will resolved in a timely manner.
Buss family drama not expected to affect Lakers sale to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner
With the Buss siblings battling legally over whether they can sell their minority shares, some may have wondered if that could potentially affect Mark Walter’s sale of his majority shares. But that shouldn’t be the case and Iger and Kushner should be able to purchase the Lakers with no issues.
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