The Los Angeles Lakers have undergone significant changes in their leadership structure following the sale of a majority stake to Mark Walter, owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. This marks a shift for the franchise, which has long been known as a family-run organization.
Walter is recognized for his willingness to invest heavily in pursuit of championships. With his arrival, several organizational changes have taken place, including the termination of Joey and Jesse Buss from their positions in the team’s front office. Additionally, multiple members of the scouting department have also departed, allowing Walter to appoint new personnel.
Jesse Buss spoke about his and his brother’s removal and reflected on their late father Dr. Jerry Buss’s intentions for them within the organization. According to Jesse, “It was to run the basketball operations department one day, and that was something that was discussed over 15 years ago. And what he had told me at the time was that he wanted Jimmy to retire at some point within the next five to seven years, so this was about 2010, and he started to slowly incorporate Joey and I into the day-to-day operations. And eventually, I think the plan was (that) Jeanie was gonna run the business side and Joey and I were gonna help run the basketball operations department.”
Jesse further explained that Dr. Buss’s vision did not materialize: “No, but at times, I think my involvement with the organization came in waves. Obviously, I think we were able to specialize in the later parts of the draft, and that was kind of like my niche within the organization, being able to give a large amount of input on who we selected with those picks. And I think at times, I was consulted on various free agent moves or potential trades that we were considering.
“But oftentimes within the organization, it kind of felt like I was being treated like I was working against them. And, I guess you could say, like an enemy. But the only thing I ever wanted was the most success for this team. The credit, or whoever was involved with those decisions, it didn’t really matter as long as it was the best possible thing for the Lakers.”
Despite these changes occurring during a successful period for the team on court—an unusual moment for such restructuring—Jesse and Joey Buss will continue as minority owners.
Rob Pelinka, president of basketball operations for the Lakers, previously stated he did not anticipate major organizational shifts under Walter’s ownership; however, recent developments have contradicted those expectations.
