The Lakers’ 10 billion dollar sale already felt like one of the biggest stories in league history, but Brian Windhorst added a detail that instantly changed the tone of the entire saga. On the Hoop Collective, Windhorst said every Buss sibling walked away with a payout that was ‘a little under a billion dollars each.’ For a family that spent decades fighting to keep the Lakers in their hands, the money involved finally explains why the internal vote shifted after years of deadlock.
“Joey and Jesse, as far as I know, voted against the sale for years. Jeanie Buss had been on their side, and a three-three vote meant no sale. Jeanie moved to the other side, I assume partially because she got this deal where she was able to remain the governor for years into the future, and also because she got a great price.”
“Someone told me that each one of the Buss children, after all the maneuverings and everything, and the accounting, each of the Buss children got a little under a billion dollars, like a high 900-million-dollar check a couple of weeks ago when Mark Walter bought the team.”
According to Windhorst, the Buss family had been split 3–3 on selling the team for a long time. Joey and Jesse Buss consistently voted no, and Jeanie Buss backed them every time. With no majority, the Lakers stayed off the market. That changed this year. Jeanie switched her vote, lined up with the siblings who wanted to sell, and removed the final barrier standing in the way of Mark Walter’s record-breaking purchase.
Why the sudden flip? Windhorst believes two things moved Jeanie. First, the deal protected her long-term control. Even with the franchise now under new ownership, Jeanie remains team governor for at least five more years, and the structure reportedly gives her influence beyond that. Second, the size of the offer changed the conversation.
But the fallout didn’t stop with money. Within days of the sale going through, Joey and Jesse Buss told ESPN that they had been fired from their roles after more than twenty years with the organization. Joey held positions as alternate governor and vice president of research and development. Jesse was an assistant general manager and a major figure in the Lakers’ scouting pipeline, helping find gems like Jordan Clarkson and Austin Reaves. Their work shaped several eras of the franchise.
Now they’re gone, and their exit wasn’t quiet. Both thanked fans and honored their late father in their joint statement, but they also made it clear they disagreed with how the situation was handled. Jesse went a step further. He said Dr. Buss always wanted him and Joey to run basketball operations one day, then pointed directly at Jeanie for ending that vision.
That line captured how deep the fracture now runs. The Lakers are entering a new chapter with new ownership, new power dynamics, and a reshaped front office. But the family story is no longer the unified legacy fans grew up hearing about. The sale brought record money. It also brought a clear divide.
