Lakers sale moves forward as Buss family fight gets uglier

The Lakers’ sale appears to be getting closer. The Buss family dispute is getting nastier.

Mark Walter and prospective buyer Josh Kushner have agreed to all remaining terms of a sale valuing the franchise at $12.5 billion, according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne⁠.

The two met Thursday to finalize the terms and are expected to sign the agreement soon. It would then go to the NBA for review.

Kushner has also made clear that he has raised the money needed to complete his end of the transaction, Shelburne reports. That follows public questions about whether he had secured enough funding.

Meanwhile, Jeanie Buss and her siblings remain at odds over the family’s remaining stake in the Lakers and her future as the team’s governor.

In a court filing this week, Jeanie accused her siblings, primarily Joey and Jesse Buss, of using “cloak and dagger” tactics against her, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reports⁠.

Jeanie contends that their efforts to sell the family’s stake reflect lingering resentment over their father, Jerry Buss, choosing her as his successor. A sale of that stake would prevent her from continuing as governor.

“Jeanie had no choice but to seek court intervention to enforce the clear terms of the trust and this court’s 2017 order,” the filing states.

Her filing also accuses the siblings of sharing votes and resolutions with ESPN rather than discussing them with her as their fellow trustee. It alleges those actions were intended to force her into court, then portray her as the aggressor.

Those are Jeanie’s allegations in an ongoing legal dispute. Separately, Walter and Kushner are preparing to put their sale agreement before the league.

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