Jeanie Buss‘ decision to sell the Los Angeles Lakers franchise was a historic one, resulting in a valuation of $10 billion with members of the Buss family receiving roughly $1 billion each. While this was treated as a landmark event, recent updates have stirred a lot more drama in Los Angeles.
Following the sale of the Lakers, new ownership promptly removed Jesse and Joey Buss, keeping only Jeanie Buss on board to oversee team operations. Although this split was an emotional one, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes suggested that the seeds for this discord were sown much earlier.
“One of the things that stuck with me dates back to 2019,” Holmes began. “This is when the Lakers acquired Anthony Davis in a trade. On that day, I was told Jeanie Buss and Jesse Buss spoke over the phone, and for whatever reason, she brought up this alleged promise that had been made years earlier by Dr. Buss with her mother, JoAnn, that he would never have kids with anybody else.”
“Sources tell me, she said to Jesse, ‘You should have never been born.’ Word about this made the rounds in the organization, and as one source told me, that marked the beginning of the end.”
Jeanie Buss’ relationship with her brother was already strained, with Jesse claiming that he hadn’t spoken with his sister for over five months leading up to the sale. However, if this report is considered to be true, it becomes clear that the problems ran much deeper.
The crumbling relationship between Jeanie and her siblings also extended to her younger sister, Janie, who lost her job after Walter took over the Lakers. Holmes revealed that Janie pleaded not to be fired, but this would not come to pass.
“She felt disappointed and disrespected, like a crumpled-up piece of paper thrown into the trash,” Holmes stated.
As harsh as Janie’s treatment may have been, the situation between Jeanie Buss and her brothers was more complicated.
While the two brothers were reportedly angling for a higher valuation on the open market, potentially in an attempt to be a part of the group that would buy the franchise, Jeanie’s decision to sell to Mark Walter effectively put an end to this scenario.
The fallout of the Lakers’ sale has hurt the Buss family. However, in the process of these revelations, Lakers superstar LeBron James was also dragged into the drama.
Although Jeanie Buss has been quick to come to James’ defense after reports suggested some friction between the two, the external noise could create some problems within the organization and the team.
With the Lakers sitting at 26-16 on the season (fifth in the West), events like this could prove to be a distraction, effectively harming their chances of forming a consistent winning habit.
