Lakers Remove Buss Brothers From Front Office Amid Organizational Shake-Up
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The Los Angeles Lakers have eliminated the front-office positions of Joey Buss and Jesse Buss as the franchise overhauls its basketball operations department, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday.
Joey Buss had been serving as an alternate governor and vice president of research and development, while Jesse Buss held the title of assistant general manager. Both appointments end immediately, according to the report.
“We are extremely honored to have been part of this organization for the last 20 seasons,” the brothers said in a statement to Charania. “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.”
Their father, the late Jerry Buss, controlled the Lakers until his death in 2013, when his ownership stake was divided among his six children. Jeanie Buss became team governor and continues to hold that role.
Earlier this year, the Buss family agreed to sell its controlling interest in the franchise to minority owner Mark Walter at a record valuation of $10 billion. NBA governors formally approved the sale last month. Charania noted that Joey and Jesse Buss voted against the transaction.
Although the family now retains roughly 15 percent of the Lakers, Joey and Jesse will keep their minority shares despite losing their day-to-day responsibilities. The pair had worked in the scouting department for the past decade and contributed to personnel decisions. In September, they launched an investment venture called Buss Sports Capital, a move Charania indicated may have been prompted by uncertainty over their future roles with the club.
Multiple members of the team’s scouting staff have also been dismissed as part of the wider restructuring, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Source: Hoops Rumors
