Overview
- Bob Iger and Josh Kushner have agreed to buy majority control of the Los Angeles Lakers for $12.5 billion but the sale is not closed and awaits NBA Board of Governors approval and routine due diligence.
- Five of six Buss siblings have agreed to sell the family’s 17.8% stake to the incoming buyers, which would leave Jeanie Buss with under 3% ownership if the transfers stand.
- Patrick Soon‑Shiong’s attorney told reporters that Soon‑Shiong will not sell his roughly 4% stake, a development that sharply reduces Jeanie Buss’s realistic options to reach the NBA’s 15% governor threshold.
- Jeanie Buss is contesting the siblings’ transfers through her lawyer, who cites a 2017 court order and trust rules that he says require co‑trustee approval, and Bob Iger has said he plans to honor an agreement to keep Buss as governor for five years with a conditional caveat.
- The deal’s path now runs through the NBA’s September review and possible courtroom disputes that will decide final ownership lines and whether Jeanie Buss can retain the governor role.