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Joey Buss and Jesse Buss are no longer working in the Los Angeles Lakers’ front office after the franchise’s recent ownership change, a person with knowledge of the move told The Associated Press on Thursday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Lakers didn’t publicly announce the firings of the two children of longtime Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who died in 2013. The Lakers are also overhauling the scouting staff that worked with the brothers.
The Buss brothers confirmed their departure in a statement issued to ESPN, although both will retain their inherited minority ownership stakes under new controlling owner Mark Walter.
Jesse Buss was an assistant general manager, while Joey Buss was the Lakers’ alternate governor and vice president of research and development.
“We are extremely honored to have been part of this organization for the last 20 seasons,” Joey and Jesse Buss said in their statement. “Thank you to Laker Nation for embracing our family every step of the way. We wish things could be different with the way our time ended with the team. At times like this, we wish we could ask our Dad what he would think about it all.”
Jerry Buss had at least seven children, and six of them worked for the Lakers at some point during his ownership.
Jeanie Buss became the Lakers’ governor when their father died. Jim Buss was the Lakers’ executive vice president of basketball operations until Jeanie ousted her brother in 2017, also firing general manager Mitch Kupchak and turning over the basketball side of the business to Magic Johnson and current general manager Rob Pelinka.
Walter finalized his purchase of a controlling stake in the Lakers three weeks ago in a sale initially announced in June and conducted with a $10 billion franchise valuation. Jeanie Buss will remain the Lakers’ governor for the foreseeable future, but the Lakers are now primarily owned by Walter, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Joey and Jesse Buss have been involved in the Lakers’ scouting and player development operations for many years, and they’ve been praised for their roles in the Lakers’ successful drafts and free-agent signings.
Perhaps sensing the upcoming changes in the Lakers’ leadership structure following the decision to sell the team, the brothers launched an investment firm in September dubbed Buss Sports Capital.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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