The Los Angeles Lakers, one of the most storied franchises in NBA history, have long been plagued by whispers of internal dysfunction. Now, those whispers are beginning to sound more like sirens. According to NBA insider Ethan Strauss, the real power within the Lakers’ front office has resided not with general manager Rob Pelinka, but rather with a pair of behind-the-scenes figures: Linda and Kurt Rambis.
“Based on conversations with those in the know, a ranking of the most powerful Laker decision-making officials would be: executive director/special projects Linda Rambis, director of basketball affairs Kurt Rambis, president of business operations Tim Harris (who dated Jeanie Buss long ago) and general manager Rob Pelinka.”
“That’s the order as I understand it, and that’s without the confounding variables of LeBron James, Rich Paul, and their Klutch Sports Group. LeBron and Klutch have been controlling Laker basketball decisions, but it’s not clear how long that dynamic will last. Theirs is a massive influence but likely a passing one.”
The revelation has sparked widespread disbelief. How could an advisor and his wife, neither of whom hold traditional basketball operations titles, outrank the general manager in day-to-day power?
More shocking is the idea that Linda Rambis, who holds a vague “special projects” title and is a long-time confidante of Jeanie Buss, had more sway than the very executive tasked with building the roster.
To understand how this dynamic came to be, one must look back to 2017, when Kurt Rambis rejoined the Lakers organization. Since then, he has quietly amassed influence within the franchise, becoming Jeanie Buss’s trusted basketball voice alongside Pelinka.
Linda Rambis, described by multiple insiders as a behind-the-curtain consigliere, was already embedded in the upper brass and operated as a “pillar” of the Lakers’ internal brain trust.
The Lakers’ recent $10 billion sale to Mark Walter, CEO of TWG Global, is expected to shake up this opaque and arguably outdated structure. Although Jeanie Buss will remain governor for a few more years as part of the transition, insiders suggest the days of Linda and Kurt Rambis wielding unchecked influence may be numbered.
This dysfunction wasn’t just a secret power dynamic; it allegedly bled into basketball operations and spending. Reports have claimed the Lakers were running frugally, cutting costs in key areas that left the team unable to keep up with the evolving NBA. From limited staff expansion to out-of-date analytics infrastructure, the franchise was being left behind under the guise of tradition.
With Magic Johnson publicly praising the new ownership and promising “exciting things” for Lakers fans, the hope is that the franchise can pivot away from nepotism and shadow decision-makers and toward a professional, modern front office that aligns with the NBA’s top organizations.
Ultimately, Strauss’s bombshell report paints the picture of a franchise that was, for too long, stuck in an outdated hierarchy, one where friendship trumped merit and advisors held more sway than executives.
As the $10 billion sale ushers in a new era, the question is no longer whether Linda and Kurt Rambis held too much power. It’s whether that power is finally coming to an end.
