Adam Silver Faces No-Win Situation as Buss Family War Threatens $12.5 Billion Lakers Sale
Adam Silver did not sign up for this. But he is about to walk into the middle of the ugliest ownership fight in NBA history, because there is nobody else who can.
The Los Angeles Lakers are supposedly sold. Mark Walter is the new majority owner at a record $12.5 billion valuation. Then Bob Iger and Josh Kushner were reportedly added into the remaining Buss family stake, effectively pushing Jeanie Buss out of the governor’s seat she has held since 2013.
Jeanie Buss is not going quietly. Her attorney, Adam Streisand, sent a letter arguing that a 2017 court order names Jeanie as the controlling shareholder, and that no family sale of the remaining stake can happen without her consent.
Now everyone in the league is waiting to see how far this thing goes. Silver, according to reporting from Tom Haberstroh, is expected to insert himself and try to broker peace before the NBA Board of Governors vote on September 15 and 16.
Good luck with that.
Silver has spent his commissioner tenure avoiding public brawls with owners. He usually lets disputes sort themselves out in the boardroom. The Buss family fight is different. This is not two owners disagreeing over a media rights deal. This is siblings suing siblings. It is the daughter of Dr. Jerry Buss fighting to protect a legacy that turns 47 years old this year.
If Silver forces a resolution that pushes Jeanie out, he tarnishes a family that helped build the modern NBA. If he sides with Jeanie and blocks the sale, he is telling Iger and Kushner, two of the most powerful people in American media, that their money is not welcome. Neither result is clean.
The context matters. The Lakers just entered the Luka Doncic era. They have a young superstar under long-term control, a passionate fan base, and one of the two most valuable brands in the league. The next 10 years should be the most lucrative stretch in franchise history.
And this ownership group cannot even agree on who is in charge.
The other owners are watching. If the Buss stake fight drags into next season, it becomes a distraction that Silver cannot allow. Coaches want clarity, general managers need approvals, and free agents want to know who signs their bonus checks in July 2028. An unresolved civil war at the top of the league’s flagship franchise poisons everything.
Silver’s likely play is a mediated settlement. Push Jeanie into an emeritus role with real ceremonial power and a real financial cushion. Bring Iger and Kushner in as minority partners with a path to more influence over time. Get the deal done at the September vote and move on.
That is easier to type than to execute. Jeanie has been public about not wanting a soft landing. She wants the governor title. Kushner and Iger did not commit that much capital to be junior partners under someone else’s control.
The awkward truth for Silver is that he does not have a real hammer. He can withhold Board approval, but he cannot force siblings to like each other. He can advise, but he cannot legislate a family peace.
Still, doing nothing is not an option. The Lakers are the NBA’s front page. Silver has to protect that, even if it means burning goodwill in Los Angeles or in Manhattan.
Whatever he decides in the next three weeks will shape how future ownership fights get handled around the league. This is Silver’s biggest test since the Donald Sterling saga. Unlike that one, there is no obvious villain to run out of the building.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
