Jeanie Buss accuses siblings of trying to topple the Lakers

In her legal battle with her siblings over control of the Los Angeles Lakers, Jeanie Buss claimed that family members, especially Joey and Jesse Buss, are running a "covert" campaign through the media to topple her. In a filing submitted to the court this week, she argued that family members are acting in an organized way against her.

Jeanie's lawyers said her siblings never accepted Jeanie taking over the team after Jerry Buss died in 2013. The filing also said that Jerry Buss choosing his daughter, rather than his four sons, as his successor has increased tension within the family.

Mark Walter bought the majority stake in the Lakers from the Buss family in 2025 at a valuation of $10 billion. After the sale, the family's remaining 17.82 percent stake in the team stayed just above the 15 percent threshold the NBA set for control. It was reported that Johnny, Jim, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss voted to sell their remaining shares to a group led by Bob Iger and Josh Kushner. If the sale goes through at a valuation of $12.5 billion, each sibling is expected to earn about $371 million more.

Jeanie Buss argues that the sale attempt violates a 2017 court ruling. Under that ruling, Janie and Joey Buss, as co-trustees of the trust, were required to vote in a way that would keep Jeanie in place as the controlling executive.

In her latest filing, Jeanie is asking for Joey and Janie Buss to be removed for allegedly breaching their fiduciary duties, for them to be held in contempt of court, and for the other siblings to be held responsible for helping violate the 2017 ruling. She also asked that all legal costs be covered.