$12.5 Billion Lakers Sale Hits a 17.8 Percent Court Block

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Same clip, two rooms: the bar and the front office. Wednesday a 97-page petition landed in Los Angeles Superior Court. Jeanie Buss asked a judge to stop her five siblings from selling the family trust’s last 17.8 percent of the Lakers.

She asked a L.A. judge to block a sale of the trust’s last 17.8 percent so the $12.5 billion majority deal cannot drop her under the NBA’s 15 percent governor line. Hearing is Nov. 5.

The $12.5 billion majority sale is not the fight. The 17.8 percent is the chair.

Action: NBA.com / Los Angeles Lakers. 1520×577.

Mark Walter bought the majority at a $10 billion valuation in June 2025. This month he agreed to sell to Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger at $12.5 billion. That majority path is not expected to be blocked by this filing. Jerry Buss bought the franchise for $67.5 million in 1979. The trust still holds the last slice.

The petition says Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey, and Jesse voted 5-0 to sell without her. Jeanie never agreed. Never consulted. Never even informed. She cites a 2017 court order that the trustees “take all actions reasonably available to ensure Jeanie’s appointment as Controlling Owner.” She wants the votes voided, Janie and Joey removed as co-trustees for breach of fiduciary duty, and the others held liable for aiding that. An Aug. 18 statement from the five siblings said they remain “united” in selling.

NBA governors need 15 percent. Sell the full 17.8 and the chair walks out with it. Minority owners Patrick Soon-Shiong (4 percent) and Ed Roski Jr. are named in the petition as supporting Jeanie remaining governor.

Do not turn $12.5 billion into the whole story. Hold the path. A majority sale that already moved. A trust slice that still sits on the board. A 15 percent line. A November hearing two weeks into the season. The money is the headline. The 17.8 percent is the job.

Sources

• The Athletic — Sam Amick and Melody Gutierrez, Aug. 26, 2026: Jeanie Buss petition to stop siblings from selling Lakers stake
• Yahoo / Los Angeles Times — Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Aug. 26, 2026: Jeanie Buss seeks court help keeping her family's share of the Lakers
• NBA.com: Q&A with Jeanie Buss
• NBA.com / Los Angeles Lakers