Five Buss Siblings Voted to Sell 17.82% of the Lakers. Jeanie Buss Went to Court.

Jeanie Buss asked a judge on August 26, 2026, to void her five siblings' vote to sell the family's last 17.82% of the Los Angeles Lakers. The 97-page petition was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Times' account does not carry a docket number, the trust's transfer terms in full, or a response from the siblings to the filing itself.

At stake is whether the family that has run the team for decades keeps any piece of it, and whether its governor holds her seat in the room where the league's owners vote.

To remain on the NBA board of governors, Buss must own at least 15% of the team, the Times reported. The family's remaining stake is 17.82%. That is 2.82 percentage points of cushion, and a sale of the whole stake leaves none.

Among five points listed in the petition, per the Times, Buss asks the court to:

• declare her siblings' votes to sell void;
• remove Janie and Joey Buss as co-trustees, alleging breach of fiduciary duty, and hold them in contempt;
• hold Jim, Johnny and Jesse Buss in contempt and liable for aiding and abetting.

The petition contends the siblings are bound by a 2017 court order requiring the co-trustees to “take all actions reasonably available to ensure that Jeanie is appointed and remains as the NBA controlling owner of the Lakers,” as quoted by the Times. That 2017 fight installed Janie and Joey as co-trustees in place of Jim and Johnny.

The petition accuses the five siblings of “devious behavior” for leaving Buss out of sale discussions earlier in August, and states that she “never agreed to any sale, was never consulted and was never even informed,” the Times reported. The petition also says minority owners Patrick Soon-Shiong — who owns the Los Angeles Times and has said he will keep his 4% stake — and developer Ed Roski Jr. back her continuing as controlling owner.

The siblings have spoken once on the record, and it was before the petition. On August 18, 2026, after her lawyers said she would contest the sale, the five said they were “united” and would “move forward thoughtfully, respectfully and through appropriate process,” per the Times. The outlet reported on August 17, 2026 that her attorney had demanded her brothers retract statements that the family was selling.

The money behind the argument has moved fast. Jerry Buss bought the team in 1979 for $67.5 million, the Times reported. Mark Walter took majority control in 2025 at a $10-billion valuation. Bob Iger, the former Disney chief executive, and Joshua Kushner, a venture capital founder, bought the majority stake from Walter in August 2026 at a record valuation — a 25% profit for Walter, 14 months after the Buss family trust accepted his offer, according to the Times.

That transaction is not expected to be affected by the family's legal proceedings, a person close to the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly told the Times. The Times’ account carries no statement from Walter's company, TWG Global, on the petition, and no description of the NBA's approval procedure.

The hearing is scheduled for November 5, 2026, according to the petition. The Lakers will be two weeks into their season.

Source: latimes.com, retrieved August 27, 2026.