Five of the six Buss siblings filed formal legal opposition on Oct. 7, 2026, to Jeanie Buss’s petition challenging the sale of the family trust’s remaining Lakers stake, according to ESPN. Jimmy, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss say their sister’s effort to block the transaction is “legally and factually baseless.”
The dispute centers on a 17.82% family trust stake in the Lakers, according to ESPN, though Bleacher Report put the figure at 17.8%. That stake sits at the heart of a fight over whether Jeanie Buss can stop her siblings from cashing in their shares as part of the franchise’s broader sale.
Buss Siblings: Lakers Sale Creating Legal Nighmare
Jeanie Buss, the Lakers’ acting governor, filed a 97-page petition in August 2026 through her attorney, Adam Streisand, seeking to block the sale of the family’s remaining shares, according to ESPN. The siblings’ Oct. 7 filing runs 36 pages and responds directly to the issues Streisand raised on her behalf.
The disagreement traces back to the Lakers’ 2025 sale to Mark Walter, when the Buss family retained the right to tag their shares along into any future sale of the team, according to Bleacher Report. Five siblings voted to exercise that right. Jeanie Buss abstained.
Jeanie Buss separately petitioned Los Angeles Superior Court to hold her siblings in contempt and to remove Joey and Janie Buss as co-trustees, according to Bleacher Report. Joey and Janie Buss were named co-trustees alongside Jeanie under a 2017 court order, according to ESPN.
The five siblings argue that order required trustees to keep Jeanie as controlling owner but never stripped beneficiaries of their separate right to terminate the trust, according to ESPN. They also contend Jeanie Buss is acting in her own self-interest to protect her standing with the franchise rather than on behalf of the trust’s beneficiaries.
Response From The Siblings
The five siblings released a joint statement addressing the filing. “Jimmy, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss, the five of six siblings who voted to sell the Trust’s shares in the Lakers, today filed their formal opposition, demonstrating that Jeanie Buss’s petition is legally and factually baseless,” the statement read, according to ESPN. “While discussions among the siblings continue, their focus remains on facilitating the proposed transaction and the trust’s participation in it, while ensuring that all beneficiaries, including Jeanie, are treated equally. Today’s filing is a necessary step to protect those interests and ensure the transaction proceeds on schedule.”
The statement frames the siblings’ position as procedural rather than personal, emphasizing equal treatment of all beneficiaries under the trust.
What The Sale Involves
Josh Kushner and Bob Iger lead an ownership group that has agreed to buy the Lakers from Mark Walter at a $12.5 billion valuation, according to ESPN. Jeanie Buss has a side agreement with Walter dating to October 2025 that would keep her as director and controlling owner for five years, subject to NBA approval, according to ESPN.
What’s Next
A court hearing originally set for Nov. 5, 2026, has been postponed to Dec. 8, 2026, according to ESPN. The new ownership group is expected to take control of the franchise following a vote by the NBA Board of Governors in November, according to ESPN.
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