The Los Angeles Lakers are firing longtime executives Joey and Jesse Buss, according to ESPN. The Buss brothers have maintained a role within L.A’s front office for two decades, with Joey serving as the alternate governor and vice president of research and development. Jesse was the assistant general manager under president Rob Pelinka.
The Buss brothers’ older sister, Jeanie Buss, will continue to hold the role of team governor even after the Buss family sold a majority stake of the team to Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter. The Lakers sale was officially approved in October at a $10 billion valuation, making Walter the majority owner of one of the NBA’s most prominent and successful franchises.
In addition to both Buss brothers leaving, the Lakers are also dismissing many members of their scouting staff, per ESPN. Over the last 10 years, the Buss brothers had key roles in the scouting department, and were integral in finding players like Austin Reaves and Kyle Kuzma.
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The Buss family still maintains a 19% ownership stake, and Joey and Jesse will still hold their specific stakes in the team.
“We are extremely honored to have been part of this organization for the last 20 seasons,” Joey and Jesse Buss told ESPN in a statement. “Thank you to Laker Nation for embracing our family every step of the way. We wish things could be different with the way our time ended with the team. At times like this, we wish we could ask our Dad what he would think about it all.”
The Buss siblings approved the sale of the Lakers by a majority vote, and when the initial news broke, it was reported that Jeanie would still remain as the team’s governor for the foreseeable future.
The news of the Buss brothers’ ousting is the first significant front office move in Walter’s tenure as majority owner. It comes on the heels of the brothers announcing the creation of an investment firm called “Buss Sports Capital” in September. The investment firm will focus on acquisitions and partnerships across the sports world.
The Buss family has owned a stake in the Lakers since 1979, when Jerry Buss bought the team for $67.5 million. When Jerry died in 2013, Jeanie became the team’s governor.
