Jesse Buss says he felt isolated from Lakers before dismissal

Jesse Buss says he’ll always root for the Lakers, but admitted his voice inside the organization had faded long before he was removed from his role as assistant general manager on Thursday.

Buss told Dan Woike of The Athletic he hasn’t spoken with GM Rob Pelinka or his sister Jeanie Buss in five months and felt increasingly isolated in recent years.

“I kind of felt siloed quite a bit, dating back to before the 2023 draft,” he said. “As time went on and there was a lack of communication between not only my sister and I, but the organization as a whole while I was combating various health issues, I kind of felt like the writing was on the wall.”

Buss added that the sale of the franchise made his exit feel inevitable.

“Obviously this is a job I’ve loved for a very long time,” he said. “Even if I’m not part of the organization in any capacity, I’m always gonna root for this team. And obviously I root for players that Joey and I had a part of bringing in, such as Austin (Reaves) and Rui (Hachimura).”

Jesse said his late father Jerry Buss once envisioned him and his brother Joey eventually helping run the Lakers’ basketball operations department, with Jeanie overseeing the business side.

Jesse became a key voice in the scouting department over the years and said he was consulted on free agents and trades, though his involvement “came in waves” before declining.

“Oftentimes within the organization, it kind of felt like I was being treated like I was working against them,” he said. “The only thing I ever wanted was the most success for this team.”

According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, several scouts were also let go on Thursday, including Sean Buss, Aaron Jackson, Can Pelister and Moses Zapata.