The drama hanging over the Los Angeles Lakers franchise finally appears to be over. It seemed like things could be dragging on after an apparent takeover attempt from Jim and Johnny Buss from sister and Lakers president Jeanie, but that no longer seems to be the case.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Jim Buss stepped down as a trustee of the Lakers and was replaced by his younger sister Janie:
Essentially today's court filings, Jim Buss stepped down as trustee & was replaced by Janie. So it's 2-1 girls vs. boys now & Girls rule
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) March 27, 2017
Jeanie spoke after the ruling and seemed excited at the prospect of putting everything behind her and focusing on turning the Lakers around via Shelburne:
Jeanie Buss: "Now we can get back to work. Laker fans deserve success – and now we can focus again on bringing it to them."
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) March 27, 2017
The Lakers are mired in their fourth consecutive losing season. The constant struggles of the franchise led Jeanie to remove her brother Jim from his position as vice president of basketball operations, as well as Mitch Kupchak as general manager.
It is believed that Jim and Johnny were attempting to remove Jeanie from her post as President of the Lakers when they called for a yearly meeting to elect board members and did not submit Jeanie as a possibility. It is stated in the trust left by the late Dr. Jerry Buss that all of his kids must do everything in their power to keep Jeanie as President of the team and a board member.
With this now behind her, Jeanie can turn her attention to returning the Lakers to the top of the NBA. With Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka on board and hard at work, they hope it is only a matter of time.
