Jeanie Buss

Lakers Notes: LeBron, Luka, Extension, Reaves, More

August 6th, 2025 at 3:29pm CST by Rory Maher

Lakers forward LeBron James has been “supportive and understanding” of the team’s commitment to building around fellow star Luka Doncic, ESPN’s Shams Charania said Monday on First Take (YouTube link). Doncic signed a three-year max extension on Saturday, the first day he became eligible to re-up with the Los Angeles.

James is nearing the end of his record-setting career — he turns 41 years old at the end of December — but Doncic is theoretically just entering his prime, as the Slovenian guard is 26. James exercised his $52.6MM player option in June, which will make him an unrestricted free agent in 2026.

While James was not physically present at the press conference to announce Doncic’s extension, he FaceTimed Doncic to congratulate him on the new deal, as first reported by Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) and subsequently confirmed by ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

“I hope, obviously, [he stays long term],” James told ESPN on April 30. “Laker fans f—ing love him here. L.A. has accepted him. We love him as a teammate, as a brother. But ultimately, he’s got to make a decision for him. S—, I ain’t going to be around much longer.”

Here’s more on the Lakers:

Dan Woike of The Athletic details Doncic’s decision to extend with the Lakers and the subsequent celebration in Las Vegas that was attended by new owner Mark Walter, governor Jeanie Buss, head coach JJ Redick and several teammates. “He’s only looking forward. And he’s here. He wants to get the best players here. He wants to win, and he knows it starts with him,” said Lara Beth Seager, Doncic’s manager. “And I think that’s what he proved this offseason. ‘OK, everyone wants to say or people think that they know me or I’m not a leader or I’m this way, or I’m that way, I don’t care. They can think and say whatever they want. “I’m gonna show them who I am.’“
ESPN insiders McMenamin, Zach Kram, Tim Bontemps and Bobby Marks examine how the Lakers should build around Doncic both now and in the future, including what types of players they should try to add (rim-running centers and three-and-D wings), what tools they have to use in trades, and their salary cap situation moving forward. Marks points out that just because L.A. could have a significant amount of cap room in 2027 doesn’t mean the team must solely rely on that to try to build out the roster.
In that same ESPN story, Bontemps writes that while much of the offseason speculation about the Lakers has been centered on James’ future, what they should do with Austin Reaves might be the trickier question. Reaves, who is widely expected to decline his 2026/27 player option (worth $14.9MM) in order to hit free agency next summer, reportedly declined a four-year, $89MM extension in June — the maximum he was eligible to receive — in the hope of landing a bigger payday. “I think he will get $30 [million] plus [annually],” one executive told ESPN, echoing multiple front office sources who were asked about the next deal Reaves could command.
According to Bontemps, there’s an expectation around the league that Reaves will re-sign with the Lakers, but to reach that $30MM-per-year figure, the 27-year-old guard may have to shine on the biggest stage after struggling in the first-round playoff loss to Minnesota. “This is a big season for him,” one Western Conference assistant coach said. “He’d better bring it in the playoffs, because he’s got to be good enough [to pair with Doncic].”

Lakers Notes: Buss, Ayton, Doncic, LeBron

July 10th, 2025 at 11:08am CST by Luke Adams

A statement last month indicated that Jeanie Buss is expected to remain the Lakers‘ governor “for the foreseeable future” even after the team is sold to incoming owner Mark Walter. That “foreseeable future” will span quite some time, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, who hears from a source that the agreement between the two sides calls for Buss to remain in her governor role for at least the next five seasons.

We have more on the Lakers:

Speaking to reporters at his introductory press conference on Tuesday, new Lakers center Deandre Ayton said that signing with Los Angeles “feels like a video game” and that he doesn’t intend to take the opportunity for granted, as Mark Medina of RG.org relays. Ayton called new teammate Luka Doncic a “once-in-a-generation player” and cited Doncic’s and LeBron James‘ career assist numbers as one reason why he expects to thrive in L.A. “They turn (their teammates) into superstars,” Ayton said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “They make them bigger than their roles, they make them very important on the floor.”
Ayton also said on Tuesday that he’s motivated by critics who have questioned his effort, focus, and maturity, according to Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “It fuels me,” Ayton said. “It fuels me up completely. And it’s a different type of drive that I’ve been wanting to express for a long time. I think this is the perfect timing, here in the purple and gold. And it’s a platform that I cannot run from. I can show what I really am and just be around some greats to really emphasize that for me as well. It is a lot of fuel in me to prove to the whole world.”
After social media posts revealed that LeBron James visited the Cavaliers‘ practice facility last week, the star forward clarified (via Twitter) that it’s an annual occurrence for him, since he lives and trains in the area during the offseason. Still, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said during an appearance on ESPN Cleveland (Twitter video link) that LeBron knew what he was doing when he was photographed in the Cavs’ building amidst speculation about his future. “LeBron absolutely knows that he will cause a wave with these social media things,” Windhorst said (hat tip to Adam Zagoria of NJ.com). “On one hand, he is just coming home for the holiday, he is just doing something that he has done numerous times in the past. On the other hand, by doing what’s he’s doing, he’s absolutely poking the bear and being passive aggressive. And by the way, the Lakers are being passive-aggressive back at LeBron. They did not announce his option pick-up. So they’re both acting in the same way. Now, how is this going to get resolved? And my answer to you, in full honesty, is I don’t know.”

Lakers Sale To Mark Walter Will Close This Year

June 25th, 2025 at 1:35pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

New incoming Lakers majority owner Mark Walter will assume control of the franchise during the third or fourth quarter of 2025, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports.

An ownership group led by Walter is purchasing a significant portion of the Buss family’s 66% majority stake in the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation. Walter was already a minority shareholder in the franchise, having purchased a 27% stake in 2021 alongside Todd Boehly.

Current Los Angeles governor Jeanie Buss, who helped steer the franchise to a title in that role five years ago, will stay in that role – and will continue to oversee team day-to-day team operations – “for the foreseeable future,” the Lakers and Walter confirmed in a press statement addressing the sale.

“From the day our father [Dr. Jerry Buss] purchased the Lakers, we have been determined to deliver what the City of Los Angeles deserves and demands: a team that is committed to winning — relentlessly — and to doing so with passion and with style,” Jeanie Buss said. “I have gotten to know Mark very well over time and been delighted to learn how he shares those same values. For the last four years, Mark has been an excellent partner to us, and we are thrilled to keep working with him to continue the Lakers’ extraordinary legacy.”

Under the Buss family, the Lakers have won 11 championships.

The Chicago-based Walter also has stakes in the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Sparks, and other sports holdings.

“Since Dr. Jerry Buss first purchased the team in 1979, they have truly set the standard for basketball in one era after another, which is why you can find people anywhere in the world wearing Lakers shirts and jerseys,” Walter said.

Lakers Notes: Walter, Buss Family, Sale, NBA Reaction

June 19th, 2025 at 10:50pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Lakers were at the center of the NBA conversation once again this week — during an exciting ongoing Finals series — when it was revealed that the Buss family was selling its approximate 66% majority stake in the franchise to minority owner Mark Walter. Los Angeles was valued at $10 billion in the sale.

Bill Plaschke of The Los Angeles Times opines that Walter, who owns stakes in multiple other teams including the Dodgers, will give Los Angeles a more expansive trajectory moving forward — unencumbered by the financial constrictions or occasional cronyism that may have impeded the Lakers’ title pursuits of years past.

Plaschke predicts that, as was the case with MLB’s Dodgers, Walter will help modernize and build out L.A.’s infrastructure behind the scenes.

Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports observes that, much in the same way the Lakers’ purchase in 1979 by late family patriarch Dr. Jerry Buss led to a massive sea change for the league at large, the Buss family’s departure from team control signals the end of another era.

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Current Lakers governor Jeanie Buss was the guiding force to galvanize this record-smashing sale, ESPN insider Shams Charania said on the network’s “The Pat McAfee Show” (Twitter video link). Charania added that the Buss family trust, split between the six children of the departed Dr. Buss, will still hold a significant stake in the team for at least a while. “The Buss family will have just over 15% of the minority share for a period of time,” Charania said. “Jeanie Buss will stay on as the governor for a period of time after this sale… My understanding is that Jeanie Buss really drove this sale of the Lakers.”
Unlike when a similar situation played out with former Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban, Jeanie Buss’ short-term continued role as Lakers governor has been defined in a written agreement, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne told ESPN Radio Los Angeles’ Clinton Yates (Twitter video link, h/t to RealGM for the transcription). “It’s in writing,” Shelburne said. “Mark Cuban did not get his role in writing. Jeanie Buss’ is in writing. That’s part of the deal. She’s staying on for the foreseeable future to run the team. There’s going to be a great continuity in this transfer of ownership.” Cuban said ahead of the Mavericks’ sale that he’d remain in his governor role, but that didn’t end up happening.
The league at large has weighed on the Lakers’ blockbuster sale, according to Tim Bontemps and Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “This is a good move,” an NBA source told ESPN. “The Lakers can finally be run like a real business.” As Bontemps and McMenamin note, the franchise was revenue-dependent under the Buss family. Now, it’s just another investment for the far wealthier Walter. “Most of these owners now, this is a part of their portfolio,” an executive said. “It’s not the only thing in their portfolio.”

Lakers Sale Notes: Walter, Buss, LeBron, Doncic

June 19th, 2025 at 9:04am CST by Arthur Hill

The sale of the Lakers to Los Angeles sports mogul Mark Walter should signal a change in the way the franchise operates, writes Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. The record-setting deal, which includes an approximate $10 billion valuation for the franchise, will end more than four decades of control for the Buss family.

Despite their position as one of the NBA’s glamour teams, Vorkunov points out that the Lakers haven’t always been run that way. He states that many of the owners who’ve entered the league in the past few years are more aggressive about investing in high-priced front office and coaching hires and that L.A.’s basketball operations department isn’t as large or free spending as some of the small-market teams.

Vorkunov expects Walter to adopt a different approach based on his stewardship of the Dodgers, who have used an enormous payroll to become an MLB powerhouse. They’re projected to spend $476MM this season in payroll and luxury tax, and they invest heavily to bring in top-notch talent throughout the organization.

“A key difference between baseball and basketball is that you can’t simply outspend everyone on payroll the way the Dodgers do,” an NBA executive told Vorkunov. “But what most people overlook is how much the Dodgers invest beyond just players. They spend at an elite level on infrastructure: front office talent, analytics and player development. Each area is essentially run by a GM-level executive, enabling them to retain top-tier personnel across the board.”

There’s more on the sale of the Lakers:

The purchase agreement ensures that Jeanie Buss will retain her role as governor and will keep running the team for “at least a number of years,” sources tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPN (Twitter link). Her sources add that Walter gave his full endorsement to the arrangement, noting that he and Buss have built a strong relationship, especially since he became a minority owner in 2021. Shelburne adds that it’s a different situation that Mark Cuban faced in Dallas, where he didn’t get to keep the operational control he expected after his sale of the team was finalized (Twitter link).
The Buss family intends to hang onto a minority stake in the franchise worth just over 15%, per Shams Charania of ESPN. NBA bylaws require a stake of at least 15% in order for Jeanie to continue serving as governor, as Marc Stein and Jake Fischer of The Stein Line note (Substack link).
LeBron James is “comfortable” with the impending sale, Vorkunov and other Athletic reporters add in a separate story. Luka Doncic, who is eligible for a $229MM extension, shared his excitement about the deal on social media. “The Lakers are an amazing organization,” he tweeted. “I’m looking forward to meeting Mark and excited about the future. I am also grateful to Jeanie and the Buss family for welcoming me to LA, and I’m happy that Jeanie will continue to be involved. I look forward to working with both of them to win championships!”
Mark Medina of RG notes that Buss talked 10 years ago about having the family control the team “forever.” He looks at what has happened over the past decade to make them change their minds.

Buss Family To Sell Lakers To Mark Walter For Record-Setting Price

June 18th, 2025 at 4:11pm CST by Rory Maher

4:11 pm: Walter has agreed to buy the Lakers at a valuation of approximately $10 billion, the largest sum ever for a professional sports team, Charania reports (via Twitter).

3:52 pm: The Buss family has reached an agreement to sell its majority stake in the Lakers to Mark Walter, sources tell Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).

Walter, 65, is the CEO and chairman of TWG Global, a diversified holding company.

Walter, who also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) and Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA), among sports investments, is currently a minority owner of the Lakers, having purchased a 27% stake in 2021 alongside Todd Boehly.

According to Charania, current governor Jeanie Buss will continue to serve in that role after the sale is finalized.

As Ramona Shelburne of ESPN tweets, Walter earned the right of first refusal to purchase majority control of the Lakers in 2021 when he bought his minority stake. The Buss family owns about 66% of the team, per Shelburne.

Longtime owner Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers for $67.5MM back in 1979, according to Charania, who notes (via Twitter) that his children inherited majority control when Buss passed away in 2013.

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps believes the Lakers’ sale price will exceed the Celtics’ record-breaking valuation of $6.1 billion (Twitter link). Boston’s new ownership group is expected to be approved sometime in June or July.

Lakers Notes: Doncic, LeBron, Reaves, Buss, Davis

March 5th, 2025 at 9:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Luka Doncic‘s elite play-making skills can take time to get used to, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register. Doncic has brought a new dynamic to the Lakers‘ offense since being acquired from Dallas last month, but it took a while for his new teammates to adjust to the unexpected passes he sometimes delivers.

“There’s a non-cadence to the way Luka plays, if that makes sense,” coach J.J. Redick explained. “A lot of offensive players have pre-programmed reads. He just does [expletive] that you’re like, ‘What, why did you do that?’ There was a blitz against our bench in the second half. Could have made one read, could have made another read, made the read that I would have picked last and we ended up getting the layup on it.”

The Lakers have scored 122.8 points per 100 possessions over their last three games as the team gets more comfortable with Doncic in charge of the offense. The biggest beneficiary has been LeBron James, who has averaged a team-high 27.2 PPG in the 10 games he has played alongside Doncic.

“In order for us to be the team ultimately we need to be, the ball needs to be in Luka’s hands,” James said. “And then when Luka sits down, the ball can be in my hands or be (Austin Reaves’) hands when he gets back. But I’m very comfortable playing off the ball and finding my spots, running the floor, getting the outlet pass from Luka, being on the backside of the defense if he’s either being blitzed in pick-and-rolls or switched in pick-and-rolls. He attracts so many eyes and bodies. I’ve been very blessed to be able to be adaptable to whatever team I’ve been on throughout my career, to be able to change. And this is another instance and I’m looking forward to that.”

There’s more on the Lakers:

James reached another career milestone Tuesday night, becoming the first player in league history to score 50,000 combined points in the regular season and playoffs, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. James accomplished the feat on his first shot of the night and went on to score 34 points in a victory over New Orleans. “It’s a hell of a lot of points, and I’m super blessed to be able to put that many points up in the best league in the world with the best players in the world over my career,” James said in a post-game interview with Spectrum SportsNet. “It’s pretty special.”
Reaves is listed as probable for Thursday’s matchup with New York after missing the last two games with a right calf strain, McMenamin tweets. After leaving Friday’s game early due to the injury, Reaves underwent an MRI on Saturday that didn’t reveal any serious damage.
In a discussion of the Doncic trade during an NPR interview, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss referenced Anthony Davis‘ distaste for playing center and the team’s recent playoff frustrations as reasons for the deal. “We gave up a lot to get Luka Doncic. We’re happy we have him,” Buss said. “We have lost the last three years in a row to the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, and we really didn’t have anything that was going to look different going into the playoffs again. Anthony Davis was complaining about where he was being played and he wasn’t happy. So I think this was a positive for both teams. They got what they were looking for; we got what we were looking for. And I didn’t realize it was going to be international news like it was, but that’s the power of the Laker brand and its ability to draw big names who want to write their own chapter in Lakers history.”

Jeanie Buss Explains Lakers’ Approach To Luka Doncic Trade

February 28th, 2025 at 2:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Lakers owner Jeanie Buss was one of the few people with advance knowledge of the trade talks with Dallas involving Luka Doncic, but she wasn’t sure the deal would get done until the last minute, writes Khobi Price of The Orange County Register.

Speaking at an event on Thursday to promote her new Netflix show, Buss told reporters that the front office proceeded cautiously throughout the process, making sure to prevent leaks that might have affected team chemistry if the deal had fallen through.

“I mean, not until (general manager Rob Pelinka) told me it was done and they had made the trade call,” she said. “Because these things fall apart all the time. It was really important to me that we didn’t blow up the team. If it had leaked out and the trade hadn’t happened, that would be really unfair to the progress that the coaching staff had made with the team. Because it’s a huge distraction. And the trade deadline is part of the business. It increases the level of stress for everybody. And I’m really proud that it didn’t leak out and that we were able to execute the trade in a way that still was surprising to all the parties involved. But that goes with this business.”

Buss compared the acquisition of Doncic with two significant deals from Lakers history, Price adds. She cited the 2008 trade with Memphis for Pau Gasol and the 2011 agreement with New Orleans for Chris Paul that was eventually overturned by then-commissioner David Stern.

As the Doncic trade edged closer to reality, Lakers officials were worried about any unexpected snags that might prevent it from being finalized.

“There’s always this concern there’s going to be some new ruling that, like, now what’s going to happen?,” Buss said. “But what I have complete confidence in Rob is that he knows how to walk a deal through step by step to make sure that everything is complete and buttoned up and that’s exactly what happened.”

Buss praised Pelinka and Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison for their discretion in keeping the deal quiet, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. From the time the first discussions were held on January 7, they were able to operate in near secrecy, even though Utah had to be brought in as a third team to take the salary of Lakers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino.

Buss also compared the trade to the type of deals her late father, Dr. Jerry Buss, used to make when he built the Lakers into one of the NBA’s premier franchises.

“He’d be very proud. When you get a player of that stature, you have to give up a lot. My dad was such a great poker player, and he said that he always wanted me to remember that poker was a game of patience,” she said. “That you had to wait for the right cards, but once you got the cards, you had to go from zero to 100 and play the cards and not be afraid to play them. So, it was difficult because we were not looking to trade Anthony Davis or Max Christie. But it was a deal that he would’ve made, and we had to go for it.”

Latest On Luka Doncic

February 3rd, 2025 at 8:08am CST by Arthur Hill

Nearly as surprising as the Luka Doncic trade itself is the fact that Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison and Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka were able to keep their negotiations a complete secret for more than three weeks. In the social media age when everything seems to get leaked online, Harrison and Pelinka managed to gradually construct the framework of a deal after broaching the subject for the first time in a face-to-face meeting on January 7.

In his latest Substack column (subscription required), Marc Stein reveals that Mavericks majority owner Patrick Dumont and Lakers owner Jeanie Buss were the only other people aware that a Doncic trade was being actively discussed. Instead of announcing his intentions to the entire league and creating a bidding war for Doncic, Harrison focused on landing Anthony Davis, who was his preferred target since talks began.

While Harrison defended the deal and explained his motivations during a press conference on Sunday, Stein states that there is “loud surprise” throughout the league that he wasn’t able to land both of the Lakers’ available first-round picks in exchange for a 25-year-old superstar. L.A. sent its 2029 first-rounder to Dallas, but hung on to its 2031 pick to help upgrade the roster in other areas.

Despite outside speculation that the Mavs needed to keep Doncic happy heading into his next contract, Stein believes Harrison and ownership eventually decided that they weren’t happy with him. Harrison talked Sunday about the need for players who “fit the culture,” implying that Doncic wasn’t viewed that way anymore.

Stein hears that management was turned off by Doncic’s decision to hire his own team of training experts heading into the 2023/24 season, even though it was at his own expense. That group, which handled his medical and nutritional needs, gained unexpected power in the organization after longtime athletic trainer Casey Smith was removed from his day-to-day duties in August 2023, Stein adds.

Stein points out that in his insistence on culture, Harrison prefers players that he’s familiar with. That includes Davis, whom he knows well through their Nike connections, as well as Kyrie Irving and P.J. Washington, whom Harrison added in recent trades after becoming the GM.

Harrison emphasized on Sunday that the decision to bring Davis to Dallas is entirely his and he doesn’t consider it to be risky. He is aware of the backlash from angry Mavericks fans, but he’s confident they’ll eventually come to understand why the deal was made.

“I’m sorry they are frustrated. It’s something we believe in as an organization that’s going to make us better,” Harrison said. “We believed it sets us up to win not only now but in the future. And when we win, I believe the frustration will go away.”

There’s more fallout from the Doncic trade:

Parting with Doncic hasn’t affected the Mavericks’ plans to sign Irving to an extension this summer, Stein adds. He has a $44MM player option for next season, but that will likely turn into a long-term deal as he and Davis are now the cornerstones of the franchise.
Doncic’s father, Sasa, had sharp criticism for the Mavericks in an interview with Arena Sport Slovenia, according to Stein. He accused the team of “secrecy” and “hypocrisy,” adding that it’s “really unfair from certain people from Dallas.”
The Lakers celebrated Doncic’s arrival in Los Angeles late Sunday night with a series of tweets showing him departing his flight and meeting with Pelinka. Doncic offered a message on Twitter, stating, “Grateful for this amazing opportunity. Basketball means everything to me, and no matter where I play the game, I’ll do so with the same joy, passion and goal – to win championships.”

Western Notes: Timberwolves, Beal, James, Buss, Grizzlies

September 19th, 2024 at 10:59am CST by Dana Gauruder

The arbitrators in the Timberwolves’ ownership dispute have been named.

Retired Hennepin County (Minn.) District Court Judge Thomas Fraser will serve as the neutral arbitrator in the upcoming legal proceedings, according to Sportico’s Eben Novy-Williams and Michael McCann.

Fraser is one of three people who will oversee the proceedings, which will begin the week of Nov. 4, to settle the legal battle between current Timberwolves majority owner Glen Taylor and the group headed by Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore. The other two arbitrators will be retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Kathleen Blatz (appointed by Taylor) and Wilson Sonsini partner Joseph R. Slights III (appointed by Rodriguez/Lore).

We have more from the Western Conference:

The suggestion that Bradley Beal should be the Suns’ sixth man doesn’t make a lot of sense, Gerald Bourguet of Gophnx.com opines. Despite an injury-plagued season, Beal is the team’s third-best player and removing him from the starting five in favor of Grayson Allen is a downgrade on several levels, in Bourguet’s view.
LeBron James‘ work ethic never ceases to amaze Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, she told Chuck Schilken of the Los Angeles Times. “He consistently delivers. He puts in the work. He’s not only a worldwide brand, but he is our leader,” Buss said. “He’s the captain of our team and he sets the tone, sets the pace by putting in the hard work. Nobody can complain about the work if you see somebody with his résumé and his longevity of career, nobody can complain about having to practice if he’s willing to do it. And he does. He just amazes me.”
Robinhood Markets, Inc., a financial services company, will serve as the jersey patch and official investing partner of the Grizzlies, Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal writes. The same company is also in a partnership with the Wizards for their jersey patch this season.The Grizzlies haven’t had a jersey patch since 2021, after a three-year deal with FedEx came to an end, Cole adds.

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