As plenty of Los Angeles Lakers fans are aware, the team was officially sold in 2025 by the Buss family to Mark Walter in a $10 billion sale. New reports concerning the transaction paint a surprising and possibly problematic picture of how trust within the ownership structure may have been damaged, and this could have real implications for future business transactions for this franchise.
According to the story, Joey and Jesse Buss were originally looking into a minority sale with the goal of allowing the family to retain control while giving some financial relief to older siblings. But instead, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.
In June of 2025, the Buss siblings were presented with an offer from Walter to purchase around half of the family's ownership stake at $10 billion. They voted on the matter quickly, and the deal passed unanimously. After the fact, some siblings reportedly felt blindsided by how the deal was negotiated and presented, particularly since the team wasn't shopped in order to test the market.
There were also reports that several long-time members of Jeanie Buss's inner circle recieved large bonuses that were tied to the sale, with the total reportedly reaching $114 million. Even if we were to assume those payments to all be legitimate, the lack of transparency seems to have worsened some already-present resentment within the family.
There was drama involved in the Buss family's sale of the Lakers
And then here's the real kicker: not long after the sale closed, multiple Buss siblings were removed from their roles with the team. Jeanie was left as the only family member still directly involved with the Lakers after all this. That's where the implications for the basketball side of things comes into play.
We know that in the NBA, outside perception matters a lot. Everyone, from star players to executives and business partners all pay attention to how organizations handle internal conflicts of power. And when a big story like this surfaces, it's hard to make it go away.
It's safe to say that none of us know all the details as outsiders looking in. But if trust has truly eroded at the ownership level, it may make future decisions more difficult. Basically every transaction you make as a franchise is grounded in the belief that your leadership is unified and giving some level of transparency. We know that the Lakers' brand is big enough to supersede some issues, but this is a pretty large one.
As for the sale itself, that's history at this point. But what we now have left is the perception of how it happened. There's certainly some eyebrows being raised. If a negative perception remains lingering around the organization, it could realistically complicate the Lakers' future dealings.