If you thought California’s Los Angeles Lakers were done making headlines after selling majority ownership earlier this year, think again. The franchise just sent shockwaves through the NBA world by firing Joey and Jesse Buss from their longtime front office positions. And yes, if you’re keeping score at home, that’s two more Buss siblings out of the building.
The decision, effective immediately, was confirmed by the brothers themselves to ESPN’s Shams Charania on Thursday. A Lakers spokesperson backed it up, saying the team had indeed parted ways with Joey and Jesse Buss but had no further comment. Translation: the drama is real, and they’re not touching this PR fire with a ten-foot pole.
But this wasn’t just a two-man shake-up. According to ESPN, the Lakers also parted ways with much of their scouting department beyond the Buss brothers. For a franchise built on talent development and scouting gems, that’s no small move. It feels like the organization is clearing the decks for a new era, whatever that may look like. However, some fans seem to love this move. One fan even wrote via X, “Nepotism finally coming to an end in L.A.”
California’s Most Decorated NBA Team Makes Big Moves
For Joey and Jesse, the news hits especially hard. They’ve spent the past decade helping uncover some of the Lakers’ biggest modern-day steals: Austin Reaves, Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., and Max Christie. That’s a pretty impressive résumé, regardless of what’s happening now.
In a statement to ESPN, the brothers reflected on their two decades with the team, showing both appreciation and heartbreak. “We are extremely honored to have been part of this organization for the last 20 seasons. Thank you to Laker Nation for embracing our family every step of the way. We wish things could be different with the way our time ended with the team. At times like this, we wish we could ask our Dad what he would think about it all.”
And that line says it all. Jerry Buss built the Lakers into one of the most successful franchises in sports. Now his children continue to clash over the future of the empire he left behind.
Jeanie Buss, the team’s primary governor, remains firmly in charge. And Jesse didn’t mince words about how he feels about that. “Dr. Buss’ idea was for Joey and me to run basketball operations one day,” he told ESPN. “But Jeanie has effectively kept herself in place with her siblings fired.”
It’s impossible not to feel the family tension in his words. This isn’t the first time the Buss siblings have gone to war over the Lakers. Back in 2017, Jeanie removed her older brother Jim as president of basketball operations and replaced him with Magic Johnson. Jim and Johnny responded by trying to call an emergency shareholders’ meeting to elect a new board of directors. Jeanie’s lawyers fired back with a temporary restraining order. Yes, a restraining order. If HBO ever needs another “Succession” spinoff, the Buss family might have them covered.
What’s Next For The Los Angeles Lakers?
Joey and Jesse, ages 41 and 37, are significantly younger than Jeanie, who’s 64. But despite the firings, they won’t be disappearing from the sports world anytime soon. They still maintain minority ownership stakes in the Lakers and announced in September that they’re launching Buss Sports Capital, an investment firm targeting acquisitions and partnerships in the global sports space. After spending their entire careers focusing on talent development, scouting, and even running the South Bay Lakers, the brothers seem ready to build something of their own.
All of this comes just months after the Buss family sold majority ownership of the Lakers to Mark Walter in June. The deal valued the franchise at a jaw-dropping $10 billion and was approved by the NBA’s board of governors last month. A new owner stepping in and two Buss brothers stepping out? The timing feels a little too coincidental to ignore.
What happens next is anyone’s guess. But with a reorganized basketball operations department, massive ownership changes, and yet another dramatic Buss family chapter unfolding in real time, one thing is clear: the Lakers are entering a brand-new era. And if history has taught us anything about this franchise, it’s that the drama is just getting started.
