Jeanie Buss Open To Scenario Letting Siblings Sell While She Stays Lakers' Governor

The useful part

Jeanie Buss may have a path to remain Los Angeles Lakers governor even if her siblings proceed with selling their shares, according to The Athletic. A league source indicated Buss would be open to exploring a scenario that lets her retain control of at least 15 percent ownership, the NBA's minimum threshold for team governors. The possibility emerges amid an escalating dispute between Buss and her five siblings, who voted through the Buss Family Trust to sell their shares in the franchise.

How it works

• That standoff threatens Buss's control of the team her father purchased 47 years ago.
• The conflict centers on a 2017 Los Angeles Superior Court order that Buss's legal team views as decisive.
• Buss's siblings, Johnny, Jim, Janie, Joey and Jesse, issued a joint statement Tuesday affirming their intent to sell despite the legal pushback.
• Sources familiar with their position believe the family trust permits decisions by majority vote.
• Separately, Mark Walter's pending sale of the Lakers to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner appears unaffected by the family dispute.

What to take from it

Multiple league and team sources told The Athletic they do not expect the conflict to derail the transaction of a 76 percent stake in the Lakers at a $12.5 billion valuation. Walter's original sale agreement reportedly included a provision keeping Buss as governor for five years, a condition a league source said is now considered part of the Iger-Kushner deal. Iger has expressed support for that arrangement both publicly and privately.

Details worth keeping

"That trumps everything," one league source close to the situation said.