Jeanie Buss has spent decades at the center of the Los Angeles Lakers, first working within her father Jerry Buss’s basketball empire and eventually becoming one of the most influential women in professional sports.
In 2026, her position became the subject of another dramatic chapter in the Buss family story. A dispute over the family’s remaining ownership stake in the Lakers has put Jeanie at odds with her five siblings, creating a legal fight over the future of the franchise and her role within it.
Who Is Jeanie Buss?
Jeanie Buss is an American sports executive and the Lakers’ team governor.
She is the daughter of the late Dr. Jerry Buss, the businessman who purchased the Lakers in 1979 and transformed the organization into one of the most valuable and recognizable franchises in sports.
After Jerry Buss died in 2013, Jeanie emerged as the public face of the Lakers and eventually became the central decision-maker within the family’s basketball operation.
Her career has made her a rare figure in professional sports: a woman who holds direct ownership and executive authority over a major NBA franchise.
Her Early Career
Buss did not immediately take over the Lakers.
Before becoming the team’s leading executive, she gained experience running other sports organizations. Her early positions included work with the Los Angeles Strings tennis team and the Los Angeles Blades roller hockey franchise.
She later joined the Lakers’ front office and became senior vice president of business operations in 1999.
Those experiences gave her an understanding of both the commercial and operational sides of professional sports before she moved into the highest levels of Lakers leadership.
Taking Control
One of the defining moments of Buss’s career came in 2017.
After disagreements surrounding the direction of the basketball operation, she removed her brother Jim Buss from his position as executive vice president of basketball operations and parted ways with longtime general manager Mitch Kupchak.
The changes effectively strengthened Jeanie’s control over the organization.
She subsequently brought Rob Pelinka into the front office and helped reshape the franchise’s basketball leadership.
The LeBron Era
Buss’s tenure produced one of the most important Lakers achievements of the modern era.
The organization signed LeBron James in 2018, giving the franchise a superstar capable of leading it back into championship contention.
Two years later, the Lakers won the 2020 NBA championship inside the Orlando bubble.
The title was particularly significant for Buss. She became the first female controlling owner in NBA history to preside over a championship team.
The achievement cemented her standing as more than an heir to her father’s franchise. She had established her own legacy as a sports executive.
The Family Dispute
In August 2026, the Buss family’s ownership structure became the focus of another major conflict.
Jeanie’s five siblings reportedly voted unanimously to sell the family’s remaining 17.8% stake in the Lakers to billionaires Bob Iger and Josh Kushner.
Jeanie was reportedly the only family member to oppose the transaction.
Her legal team challenged the proposed sale, arguing that a previous 2017 court order gives her specific rights regarding the family’s Lakers ownership arrangement.
One of the central issues is the requirement that the family trust maintain a minimum ownership position that would allow Jeanie to continue serving as team governor.
Why the Stake Matters
The dispute is about more than a percentage on a financial statement.
The Buss family has been connected with the Lakers since Jerry Buss purchased the team in 1979. The family’s ownership has therefore carried enormous symbolic importance as well as financial value.
Selling the remaining trust stake would mark another major step away from the ownership structure established by Jerry Buss.
For Jeanie, the issue is also closely tied to her authority within the organization.
Her legal challenge argues that maintaining the required ownership threshold is essential to preserving her position as governor.
Her Father’s Legacy
Jerry Buss remains central to Jeanie’s story.
He purchased the Lakers for $67.5 million in 1979 and oversaw the rise of the famous Showtime Lakers, featuring stars such as Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The franchise became a cultural phenomenon under his ownership.
Jeanie inherited not simply a valuable sports asset but a family legacy that had become intertwined with Los Angeles culture.
Much of her career has involved attempting to preserve that legacy while adapting the organization to a changing sports business.
Husband Jay Mohr
Outside basketball, Buss is married to actor and comedian Jay Mohr.
The couple married on September 3, 2023, in Malibu, California.
Their relationship has attracted attention partly because of their unusual living arrangement. They have described living in separate units on different floors of the same building, allowing each to maintain independent routines while remaining close.
Mohr has also been seen supporting Buss at Lakers games.
Previous Relationships
Buss was previously married to professional volleyball player Steve Timmons. Their marriage lasted from 1990 to 1993.
She later had a long relationship with former Lakers coach Phil Jackson. The pair began dating in 1999 and remained together until 2016.
Jackson coached the Lakers to multiple championships and remains one of the most decorated coaches in NBA history.
Does Jeanie Buss Have Children?
Jeanie Buss does not have children.
She has previously discussed the choices she made while building her career and has indicated that her professional ambitions played a major role in shaping her life.
Her focus has remained heavily centered on sports, business and the Lakers organization.
What Comes Next?
The 2026 ownership dispute could become one of the most consequential chapters of Buss’s career.
The proposed sale of the family’s remaining stake would change the long-standing Buss ownership structure, while Jeanie’s legal challenge seeks to protect the rights she says were established through an earlier court agreement.
Whatever the eventual outcome, the dispute highlights how complicated the transition of a family-owned sports empire can become across generations.
Jeanie Buss has built her reputation as much more than the daughter of Lakers legend Jerry Buss.
She worked her way through the sports industry, took a leading role within the Lakers, reshaped the franchise’s front office and presided over the team’s 2020 championship.
Her marriage to Jay Mohr and earlier relationships have also attracted public interest, but her defining achievement remains her career as a Lakers executive.
Now, in 2026, Buss is fighting another battle—this time over the ownership structure her father created.
