Los Angeles — The Los Angeles Lakers announced Thursday that Joey and Jesse Buss have been removed from their front-office positions, a seismic personnel decision that marks another visible sign of change under new majority owner Mark Walter.

Immediate reorganization under new ownership

The franchise said the departures are effective immediately. Joey Buss, who had been listed as the team’s Alternate Governor and Vice President of Research and Development, and Jesse Buss, the club’s Assistant General Manager, will no longer hold operational roles with the organization. Both brothers will, however, retain their minority ownership stakes in the Lakers.

This reorganization follows Walter’s majority acquisition of the Lakers in June 2025 — a purchase that valued the franchise at roughly $10 billion and brought in a new era of decision-making at the top of the organization.

“They helped build this roster — does loyalty matter anymore?“

The Buss brothers’ imprint on the roster

Joey and Jesse were not merely ceremonial figures; their two-decade tenure included substantive scouting and player-identification work credited by the organization. The brothers are cited as instrumental in uncovering and acquiring players who became important contributors: Austin Reaves, Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr. and Max Christie appear on that list.

Those names—particularly Reaves and Clarkson—represent the kind of low-cost, high-impact talent the Lakers have relied on during roster rebuilds. The Buss brothers’ scouting fingerprints are visible in the roster construction of recent seasons.

“Smart business move? Maybe. But losing the family touch feels like the end of an era.“

Why this matters beyond personnel

There are three clear layers to the significance of Thursday’s move: symbolism, strategy and optics. Symbolically, the Buss family has been synonymous with the Lakers since Jerry Buss bought the club in 1979, a purchase that transformed the franchise and the broader Los Angeles sports scene.

Strategically, removing long-tenured personnel signals a desire by new ownership to install its own decision-makers and analytic frameworks. Optically, the move will be read by fans and the media as the visible hand of a new regime clearing room to execute its plan.

Where the brothers go next

Joey and Jesse announced in September 2025 the launch of Buss Sports Capital, an investment firm aimed at finding acquisitions and partnerships across the global sports landscape. That venture now becomes the immediate focal point for the brothers’ next chapter—one that could keep them deeply involved in sports business even as they step back from day-to-day roles with the Lakers.

The brothers’ continued minority ownership keeps an institutional tie to the franchise, but their professional energies appear directed elsewhere. If Buss Sports Capital is active, the brothers could translate their scouting eye and franchise experience into investments and strategic partnerships beyond Los Angeles.

“If Buss Sports Capital is real, this could be the brothers’ next big play.“

Context: a family dynasty and the sale that changed everything

The Buss family has been connected to the Lakers since patriarch Jerry Buss purchased the franchise from Jack Kent Cooke in 1979 for $67.5 million—a deal that included other assets such as the Los Angeles Kings and the Forum. Jerry Buss’ death in 2013 began a succession process that culminated with a majority sale to Mark Walter in mid-2025, a transaction approved by the NBA Board of Governors shortly thereafter.

Jeanie Buss continues as the Lakers’ primary team governor, a continuity that provides a direct link to the family’s legacy even as control moves into new hands. For many fans, this represents a hybrid moment: the family still visible but no longer the final authority on the club’s daily operations.

So what happens next for the Lakers?

Expect a period of organizational realignment. New majority owners commonly reshape executive teams to align scouting, analytics and roster-building philosophy with their strategic vision. For the Lakers, that could mean fresh hires, new analytic priorities and renewed investments in scouting networks or international talent pipelines.

For the fan base, the immediate questions are practical: who replaces the removed executives, and how quickly will the new leadership make its presence felt on roster decisions? For the broader NBA, the move underscores how franchise ownership changes reverberate far beyond checkbooks and boardrooms.

Conclusion

The removal of Joey and Jesse Buss from Lakers front-office roles is a definitive moment in the club’s post-sale transition. It closes a chapter where the family’s daily influence was visible in scouting and personnel choices, while opening another where new ownership sets the agenda.

Change of control inevitably brings turnover. What will determine whether this shift is celebrated or lamented is how quickly the Lakers translate ownership change into on-court success while preserving the elements of identity that have defined the franchise for decades.