Buss family moving out of Lakers minority stake, selling 17.8% to Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner

The ownership structure of the Los Angeles Lakers is shifting again, with media reporting that the Buss family is selling its final minority stake in the franchise. According to Yahoo Sports, the Buss Family Trust plans to sell its 17.8% ownership interest in the Lakers to Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner, who already hold the controlling ownership position after buying out Mark Walter’s stake.

This would effectively close the Lakers’ long run as a family-managed ownership group. For more than four decades, the franchise’s day-to-day direction and public face have been tied to the Buss name, even as the league’s broader ownership landscape has changed. The reported transaction, if completed on the terms described, would mark a transition from family minority control to a fully consolidated ownership group centered on Iger and Kushner.

The reporting also highlights a legal and family-management dispute that could complicate the narrative around the sale. Yahoo Sports says Jeanie Buss’ attorney demanded that her brothers retract statements suggesting the Buss family was selling the 17.8% stake, pointing to a court ruling that would keep Buss as an owner for life. That claim, as presented in the reporting, underscores that internal family questions and legal interpretation may still matter even as the ownership percentage shifts in public-facing terms.

From a team-building standpoint, an ownership shift does not automatically translate into immediate changes on the basketball side, but it can change how decisions get made. The Lakers operate under a corporate and governance framework that typically influences everything from long-term strategy to how quickly leadership turns from one phase of roster construction to another. Consolidation under a single controlling group can also streamline approvals for future moves, even if personnel decisions remain the responsibility of basketball leadership.

The Lakers’ front office and leadership have often been closely associated with the Buss era, including a reputation for emphasizing both star acquisition and brand-level ambitions. A move that ends the Buss family’s stake can reset that backdrop, particularly in how the organization communicates priorities to fans, business partners, and league counterparts. Even if day-to-day operations remain stable, the ownership story will likely become a new organizing principle for how the franchise frames its direction.

For Iger and Kushner, the reported purchase expands their ownership footprint from a controlling position into a fuller arrangement with the Buss Family Trust exiting the remaining 17.8% interest. In turn, the court-related dispute mentioned in the reporting suggests the final steps may carry legal significance, depending on how ownership rights were defined and how the transaction is executed.

What to watch next is less about an immediate on-court impact and more about governance. Observers will likely focus on whether the sale proceeds as described, how any court-related issues are resolved, and what indicates the new ownership group sends about budgeting, leadership stability, and the franchise’s long-term basketball plan.