Lakers Legends Mourn as Buss Family Feud Heads Toward $12.5B Sale
Byron Scott, Robert Horry and Matt Barnes broke their silence on the ownership war after siblings voted 5-0 to sell their 17.8% stake.
Ownership fight is off-court noise for now — roster unaffected.
- Buss siblings voted 5-0 to sell 17.8% stake
- Sale valuation pegged at $12.5 billion
- Dr. Jerry Buss bought the team in 1979
- Jeanie Buss fighting to block the sale
- New majority owners: Josh Kushner and Bob Iger
The Lakers ownership saga just got personal. With Mark Walter's majority stake heading to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger at a staggering $12.5 billion valuation, the Buss siblings triggered a tag-along provision and voted 5-0 to unload their remaining 17.8% share. Jeanie Buss is fighting the move, and a family business her father built starting in 1979 is now barreling toward a possible courtroom.
That backdrop pulled several franchise pillars out of the shadows Thursday night at the Beverly Hilton, where the legends who built Showtime spoke openly for the first time — and they sounded less nostalgic than heartbroken. Byron Scott, a three-time champion, said he doesn't believe Dr. Jerry Buss would be happy with where the organization sits today.
Scott went further, admitting he never imagined in his lifetime that any other company or corporation would end up owning the Lakers. To him, the family and the franchise were never separate things. He recalled how Dr. Buss constantly told players they weren't just employees — they were family, and everyone bought in.
The Old Guard Weighs In
Seven-time champ Robert Horry, now a Spectrum SportsNet analyst, called the idea of a Lakers future without the Buss name strange and genuinely sad. He credited Dr. Buss with marrying basketball to Hollywood — the Showtime era, the Laker Girls, the Forum Club — and argued that every other franchise essentially copied that blueprint.
Michael Cooper declined to take sides while things stay fluid, but his admiration for the patriarch was unmistakable, calling him the greatest owner he ever played for. Cooper said he trusts Jeanie to do what's best for the team, and insisted the Lakers will always be the Lakers regardless of who signs the checks. Matt Barnes was blunter, saying he loves Jeanie, supports her 100 percent, and hopes she stays on the management side once Iger and Kushner take over.
The Fantasy Fallout
For fantasy purposes, this is pure boardroom drama — no rotations, minutes or usage rates are shifting because of a stake vote. Ownership disputes don't move a player's line, and there's zero indication this touches the on-court product heading into 2026-27. File it under things to monitor, not act on. If a protracted legal fight ever bleeds into roster decisions or front-office stability, revisit it then. Until then, don't let the headlines distract you from actual draft prep.
