Josh Kushner, Bob Iger reportedly intend to honor Mark Walter’s pact that allows Jeanie Buss to remain Lakers’ governor

Even though ownership of the Los Angeles Lakers is reportedly changing hands again, Jeanie Buss, the oldest daughter of former franchise owner Dr. Jerry Buss, could still remain the Lakers’ governor.

Buss was granted the opportunity to continue in that role for at least five years after Mark Walter, who also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, agreed to purchase a controlling interest in the Lakers for a then-record $10 billion from her family last summer.

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Less than a year after that sale was approved by the NBA’s Board of Governors, American businessmen Josh Kushner and Bob Iger spearheaded a group that struck a deal to buy the Lakers for a record-smashing $12.5 billion, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported on Wednesday. And Iger, who’s famously served as the Walt Disney Company’s CEO, told the California Post’s Khobi Price that he and Kushner intend to honor the pact Walter made that allows Buss to extend her run as the Lakers’ governor, a tenure that began in 2013 when her father died.

“We have enormous respect and appreciation for Jeanie, her father and what they’ve contributed to this franchise,” Iger said, per the Post. “And we have every intention to honor the agreement that was made between Mark and Jeanie.

“If things change, they’ll change, but we’re going into this with enormous respect and appreciation for who she is and what she represents in the organization.”

Jeanie Buss, 64, has served as the Lakers’ governor since her father, Dr. Jerry Buss, died in 2013. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

(MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images via Getty Images)

Following Walter’s purchase of the Lakers, the Buss family retained a minority share of the franchise, “just over 15%, for a period of time,” according to ESPN’s June 2025 report.

Shelburne reported Wednesday that the newest sale agreement is only for Walter’s shares, not the Buss family’s remaining shares.

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Jeanie Buss, 64, has stayed in the fabric of the organization, whereas Joey and Jesse Buss, the youngest sons of Jerry Buss, were relieved of their front-office duties with the…

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Author : Andy Backstrom

Publish date : 2026-08-12 21:20:00

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