Two of Jeanie Buss’s siblings have asked a Los Angeles judge to throw out her bid to block the sale of the Buss family’s remaining stake in the Lakers. Joey and Janie Buss filed a 29-page response in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday (US time), arguing the family trust clearly allowed the siblings’ 5-1 vote to sell.
The filing, reviewed by ESPN, opposes Jeanie’s petition seeking to remove Joey and Janie as co-trustees of the Buss Family Trust and to void the vote. It asks the court to dismiss the petition or deny it in its entirety, the Los Angeles Times reported.
“This dispute turns on (1) who had the authority to decide whether the Trust would continue, (2) what event would terminate it, and (3) what the Trustee Respondents were required to do once that event occurred,” the filing says, according to ESPN. “The Trust’s text unambiguously answers each question.”
What the Lakers ownership fight is about
In August, Jeanie, through her lawyer Adam Streisand, lodged a 97-page petition to stop the trust selling its remaining 17.82 per cent stake to the ownership group led by Josh Kushner and former Disney chief executive Bob Iger. The pair agreed to buy the Lakers from Mark Walter at a record US$12.5 billion valuation.
Read more: Why Mark Walter Sold the Lakers Just Months After His $10 Billion Takeover
Jeanie has argued her siblings could not terminate the trust and sell without her approval, pointing to a 2017 court order that told the trustees to take reasonably available steps to support her as the Lakers’ controlling governor, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Lawyers for Joey and Janie say that order did not prevent a sale or the trust being wound up. “It does not require the Trust to remain in existence for Jeanie’s lifetime … or require the Trust to maintain any minimum ownership percentage,” the filing states, as quoted by ESPN.
The filing also points to trust language requiring a two-thirds majority of the siblings for a sale, which the 5-1 vote exceeded. ESPN noted the NBA requires a controlling owner to hold a 15 per cent stake, but the filing says that figure appears nowhere in the trust or the 2017 order.
About US$2.2 billion on the table
The siblings want to sell using a tag-along right the trust secured when Walter bought control of the club in 2025, which allows them to sell at the new US$12.5 billion valuation. The Los Angeles Times reported the 17.82 per cent stake would be worth about US$2.2 billion.
According to ESPN, the trust also holds a separate put right that would let the siblings sell their remaining shares at the US$10 billion valuation Walter paid. The filing argues the tag-along sale is the better result for all six beneficiaries, including Jeanie.
Read more: Lakers Lose to Warriors as Walker Kessler Debuts, Luka Doncic Rests
Friday’s response follows a 36-page opposition filed on 7 October by all five siblings: Jimmy, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss. In a statement issued to ESPN at the time, the siblings said that filing showed “Jeanie Buss’s petition is legally and factually baseless”.
The new filing also rejects the petition’s claim that the siblings should be held in contempt, arguing that beneficiaries using voting rights expressly granted to them by the trust cannot amount to contempt, ESPN reported.
What happens next
A court hearing was originally set for 5 November but has been pushed back to 8 December to accommodate prior commitments for Streisand, ESPN reported. Sources told ESPN the Kushner-Iger group is expected to take control of the franchise after an NBA board of governors vote in November.
Jerry Buss bought the Lakers, the Forum and the Los Angeles Kings for US$67.5 million in 1979, and Jeanie was selected by her father to serve as the team’s controlling governor after his death in 2013, the Los Angeles Times noted.
On the court, the Lakers open the 2026-27 NBA regular season against the Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday 21 October (US time).
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