After the Lakers' record-setting sale at a $10 billion valuation, the distance between new majority owner Mark Walter and the Buss family appears to be widening. Joey and Jesse Buss told ESPN on Thursday they have been fired from the organization after spending 20 years with the franchise once run by their father, the late Jerry Buss.
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Joey served as the Lakers' alternate governor and vice president of research and development. Jesse was an assistant general manager. Both expressed disappointment with how their departures were handled.
"We are extremely honored to have been part of this organization for the last 20 seasons," the brothers said in a statement to ESPN. "Thank you to Laker Nation for embracing our family every step of the way. We wish things could be different with the way our time ended with the team.
"At times like this we wish we could ask our Dad what he would think about it all."
Walter, who also owns the Dodgers, reached an agreement with the Buss family in June to acquire a majority stake in the Lakers at a $10 billion valuation.
The deal was approved last month and keeps Jeanie Buss in place as the team's governor for at least the next five years. Joey and Jesse will retain their minority ownership stakes, per ESPN.
The brothers spent the last decade heavily involved in scouting. Joey also served as team president and CEO of the G League's South Bay Lakers, while Jesse was the organization's director of scouting.
Walter celebrated the franchise's legacy in a statement after the sale was finalized, saying it is "a privilege to work alongside Jeanie Buss" as the Lakers begin a new era both on and off the court.
