Jeanie Buss: longtime first lady of the LA Lakers NBA team

Jeanie Buss, long-time First Lady of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, has found herself at the center of a high-stakes family dispute over the future ownership of the iconic franchise. The conflict emerged after the Buss family sold a majority stake in the Lakers to Mark Walter in 2025 for $10 billion. Recently, Walter reached an agreement with Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner to resell the team for $12.5 billion. However, Buss, who has held leadership roles within the organization for decades, opposes her five siblings' plan to sell their remaining 17.8% share to this new buyer. If they proceed, she could lose her position as governor, which requires at least a 15% ownership stake. The Buss family’s connection to the Lakers began in 1979 when Jerry Buss, a successful businessman, purchased the team and transformed it into a global sports dynasty. As owner, he led the Lakers to ten NBA championships and was instrumental in creating the “Showtime” era of the 1980s, uniting basketball stars Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and later James Worthy with celebrities from show business. This period saw the Lakers become one of the most popular franchises in the league. Jerry Buss’s business acumen extended beyond basketball, influencing his daughter Jeanie, who would eventually take on key roles within the organization. Jeanie Buss’s career in sports management began during her studies at the University of Southern California, where she became the general manager of her father’s tennis team, the Los Angeles Strings. In March 1984, she organized an exhibition tennis match between John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors at the Forum, a feat she described as requiring months of persuasion. The event drew a record crowd and set a new revenue benchmark for the venue, previously held by Muhammad Ali’s boxing matches. Her influence expanded further when she took charge of the Los Angeles Blades, a professional roller hockey team, and was named the best executive in the league. She gradually moved into more prominent roles within the Lakers organization, serving as president of the team’s home arena, the Forum, before becoming an interim governor and participating in NBA board meetings. By 1999, she had advanced to vice chairman of operations. Throughout her career, Jeanie Buss has emphasized her focus on business over personal life. She married Steve Timmons, a two-time Olympic volleyball champion, in 1990, but the marriage lasted only three years. She acknowledged that her career took precedence, explaining that she did not want to compromise her professional ambitions. She also noted that she chose not to have children, believing that motherhood might distract from her work or prevent her from dedicating enough time to them. In 1995, at age 32, she posed for Playboy, a decision she described as personal rather than strategic. Her father, Jerry Buss, famously responded by stating he would not read the issue. Four years later, she entered a relationship with Phil Jackson, then head coach of the Lakers, which lasted approximately 17 years and attracted public scrutiny. In 2017, she began dating comedian and radio host Jay Mohr, with whom she married in 2023. Following her father’s death in 2013, Jeanie Buss became the leading figure in the Lakers organization. Jerry Buss had divided his 66% ownership stake among six children, but his intentions were clear, Jeanie would play a central role in the team’s future. Despite the challenges of managing both a family business and personal relationships, she has maintained a strong presence in the world of professional sports, shaping the direction of one of the most storied franchises in history.