NBA ownership saga continues as Jeanie Buss fights to retain control of the Los Angeles Lakers. Her siblings, who own 17.8% of the team, are attempting to sell their stake, but Buss is trying to block them in court. The outcome will determine whether Buss can remain the team's governor; if she succeeds, she'll keep her position, but if not, Josh Kushner and Bob Iger's purchase may change the leadership structure. A source close to the NBA indicates that Kushner would likely become the new governor once his purchase is official, despite Iger being expected to be heavily involved in daily operations.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-04,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers is up in the air as a result of a recent agreement between Mark Walter and Josh Kushner, who are buying out 17.8% of the team's shares at a valuation of $12.5 billion. This sale could lead to a majority ownership change for the team. Jeanie Buss, currently the Lakers' governor, would be forced out if her siblings sell their shares without her approval. However, she is trying to block the sale in court, with an initial hearing scheduled for Dec. 8. The outcome of this litigation will significantly impact the team's internal dynamics and potentially alter who holds the reins at the Lakers.
Written for “Los Angeles Lakers Ownership” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
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answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 4025 · logged 2026-09-04
Jeanie Buss remains the Lakers’ governor.
asserted
Buss → remain → ?
But that title — as well as many things relating to the Lakers — hangs in the balance after the last month of the Lakers’ ownership saga.
asserted
title → relate → saga
There will be a majority ownership change after Mark Walter agreed to sell his shares of the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger at a historic valuation of $12.5 billion, less than a year after Walter bought the team from the Buss family.
asserted
Walter → agree → family
As for Jeanie Buss and her family, they’re set for another date in court as Jeanie attempts to block her five siblings (Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss) from selling the family’s 17.8% share of the Lakers.
asserted
Jeanie → set → Lakers
That litigation, with the initial court hearing being pushed back from Nov. 5 to Dec. 8, will have a significant impact on the Lakers’ internal dynamics.
asserted
hearing → push → dynamics
If Jeanie Buss’ siblings are able to sell the ownership stake, then she won’t be able to remain the Lakers’ governor.
asserted
she → sell → stake
If Buss is successful with blocking her siblings’ attempted sale, she’ll retain the ownership stake in the Lakers (through the Buss family trust) required for her to remain the franchise’s governor (at least 15%, by league rules).
But it doesn’t end there.
asserted
it → block → rules
A source close to the NBA told The Post’s Charles Gasparino that Kushner will be the Lakers’ governor once he and Iger’s purchase is official.
asserted
purchase → tell → Gasparino
Which makes sense.
asserted
Which → make → sense
As The Post reported, Iger is expected to be most actively involved in the Lakers’ day-to-day operations between him and Kushner.
asserted
Iger → report → him
But with Kushner being the person expected to have the largest shares of the Lakers, as if Iger doesn’t have the minimum 15% ownership stake required to be an NBA franchise’s governor, Kushner being in the role would be appropriate.
asserted
being → expect → role
But there’s a conflict: Iger told The Post in the immediate aftermath of the sale that he and Kushner intended to honor the agreement made between Walter and Buss that would have Buss remain the franchise’s governor through at least 2030.
asserted
Buss → ’ → 2030
That comment came with a very important caveat.
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comment → come → caveat
“If things change, they’ll change,” Iger told The Post at the time.
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Iger → change → time
“But we’re going into this with enormous respect and appreciation for who [Buss] is and what she represents in the organization.”
Change appeared to be on the horizon when the Buss siblings announced their wishes to sell their ownership stake of the Lakers.
asserted
siblings → go → Lakers
But that change may not happen if Jeanie Buss gets her wish and has the attempted sale legally blocked.
uncertain
sale → happen → wish
It’s part of the reason the Lakers’ plans under new ownership aren’t known.
asserted
plans → ’ → ownership
And with the majority ownership sale not official and still under review from the league, and the Buss family’s court date pushed back a month, those answers will likely take a while to gather.
asserted
answers → push → while
