With Los Angeles Lakers fans debating whether the Buss family should sell their remaining stake in the Lakers, some say it shouldn't be an issue as long as the owner has the capacity and resources to run the team as it has been. However, former Lakers guard Danny Green disagrees.
Although he said he understands that argument from someone outside the organization, those who work for the Lakers, just like him, who are part of the broadcast team at Spectrum Sportsnet, insist that it matters.
"You can feel a difference, even in the media and aura around the building, the organization," said Green. "So yeah, it matters, but in the same breath, you just want things handled smoothly and hope for the best outcome. Again, I never thought that the Buss family would give it up. It's kind of a crazy turnaround that it's been given up twice already in the last two years."
For nearly 50 years, the Lakers were the crown jewel of the Buss family. It was in 1979 that the late Dr. Jerry Buss bought the Lakers, along with the Los Angeles Kings and The Forum, from Jack Kent Cooke for $67.5 million. Dr. Buss then turned the Lakers into one of the NBA's most successful and valuable franchises.
Last year, Lakers fans were stunned when Jeanie Buss sold the majority of her family's shares to Mark Walter. Jeanie kept enough stake to remain as governor, but in a second shocker, Walter sold the team last month to Bob Iger and Josh Kushner at a $2.5 billion valuation premium. That was followed by the Buss family's attempt to sell their remaining shares to the new owners. However, Jeanie is fighting her siblings in court, and now the Lakers are embroiled in a power struggle.
"But we've seen stranger things in this world. Not a lot surprises us. You just want owners that care about the game and not just about making a buck or the other stuff that doesn't really matter. The owners that actually want to be around, be at the games, care to build their teams, and put money in the team," he added.
A couple of weeks ago, former Showtime Lakers guard Byron Scott also talked about how the Lakers have been handed over to people or organizations who see the franchise not as a family business they want to grow, but as an investment they plan to cash out of.
"Go look back 30, 40 years and look at how Dr. Buss ran the organization," said Scott. "That's the blueprint of being successful, right? But as you said, they're not doing that because they're not into it like that. They not involved like that. Because when Dr. Buss bought the Lakers, it was his money."
"He bought this team not only to make money, but he bought it as a family business. He wanted to hand this down to Jeanie and the rest of the Buss family, his grandkids and everything. He wasn't buying this to flip it. He was buying this to be in the family for the rest of their lives," added Scott.
As Green said, the ownership issue is out of the employees' hands. All they can do is hope for the best outcome and put their faith in their new bosses. But if it's going to end the way we think it's going to end, in Bob Iger's hands, we'll see Danny's point once the season starts.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Sep 1, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
