Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss is contesting her family's decision to sell the team.
"As you know, this afternoon, Shams Charania of ESPN falsely reported that the six Buss siblings voted to sell the 17.8 percent ownership stake in the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger, and that my client, Jeanie Buss, is 'out' as controlling owner," the letter from lawyer Adam F. Streisand read. "This is just the latest instance of a years-long pattern whereby Joey and Jesse Buss leak false, defamatory and pernicious 'information' to Mr. Charania for the malicious purpose of doing harm to the Los Angeles Lakers so long as Dr. Buss’s chosen successor, Jeanie Buss, carries out her father’s wishes."
Jeanie Buss took over as governor and controlling owner in 2013, after the death of her father, Jerry Buss, who owned the team from 1979 until his death. She had already served as an executive with the team for several years. Jerry Buss's 66 percent share was passed to a trust, with each of the six children retaining an 11 percent share, but he specified that his title of governor would go to Jeanie.
Jeanie has repeatedly clashed with her brother Jim, who was put in charge of basketball operations. The conflict ultimately reached its peak in a 2017 lawsuit.
Streisand cited that lawsuit—and the Buss family trust's Sept. 2006 charter—in his Monday letter.
"'The Co-trustees of the Trust are hereby instructed to take all actions reasonabl[y] available to them, including voting the Trust’s shares, to ensure that [Jeanie Buss] is elected as the Controlling Owner of the Lakers on an annual basis during [Jeanie Buss’s] lifetime absent a further order of this Court modifying the Trust based upon proof of circumstances justifying the modification under applicable law,'" the court order quoted by Streisand states.