Shams Charania stands by Lakers reporting after challenge from Jeanie Buss attorney

August 19, 2026

ESPN’s Shams Charania is standing by his account of the Lakers ownership fight after Jeanie Buss’ attorney accused him of getting key details wrong about the Buss family’s attempted sale of its remaining stake in the franchise.

Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, Charania called a central claim from attorney Adam Streisand “inaccurate” and said he fully stands behind his work.

“The first line of the statement from the lawyers said that I ‘reported that the six Buss siblings voted to sell,’” Charania said, via Awful Announcing. “That key sentence right there is inaccurate. So I fully stand by my reporting. I’ve handled every story with care, including stories with the Lakers.”

The dispute stems from the Buss family’s remaining 17.8 percent ownership stake.

Charania initially reported that the family had voted to sell those shares to the incoming ownership group led by Bob Iger and Josh Kushner. ESPN later clarified that five siblings supported the sale while Jeanie did not.

Streisand went considerably further, accusing Joey and Jesse Buss of a “years-long pattern” of leaking what he called “false, defamatory and pernicious” information to Charania in an effort to damage Jeanie and the Lakers.

Charania pushed back Tuesday while also laying out what could become the central issue in a legal battle. Jeanie’s five siblings believe they have enough votes to trigger the family’s tag-along provision and sell. Jeanie’s legal team maintains that a 2017 court order and the family trust prevent such a sale without her consent.

“This is now setting up to be a potential legal battle in the courts between one sibling, the controlling governor as of right now, and her five siblings,” Charania said.

Meanwhile, Mark Walter’s separate agreement to sell his controlling stake in the Lakers to Iger and Kushner at a $12.5 billion valuation continues to move forward.

So does the Buss family drama. And now one of the NBA’s most prominent insiders has been dragged directly into it.