Jeanie Buss FIRES Joey, Jesse Buss. Los Angeles Lakers SHAKE UP Basketball Operations
A sleepy Thursday got a LOT busier when it was revealed that Joey and Jesse Buss, who ran the South Bay Lakers and the scouting apparatus, respectively, had been fired by the team.
No announcement was made by the Lakers, and later in the afternoon, Jesse Buss spoke with The Athletic, and didn’t hold back, taking shots at Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka, while distancing himself from what are seen as the scouting department’s lesser decisions over the last couple of years.
At least outwardly it reads like the first example of Walter exerting some control over the organizational structure, and while it kinda sucks for the Buss brothers, long simmering tensions between them and the Pelinka/Jeanie half of the basketball operation was simply untenable, and it sounds like they had an inkling this could be coming.
End of an era.
HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky
SEGMENT 1: Jesse and Joey Buss, fired!
SEGMENT 2: Why? What went wrong?
SEGMENT 3: What comes next?
04:36 Lakers’ Draft Success & Ownership
07:05 Buss Family Succession Challenges
14:32 Lakers Leadership and Internal Strife
17:52: Leadership Shift Signals Necessary Change
20:58: Leadership Transition and Reorganisation needed
28:44: “Family Business Dynamics Shift
30:53: “Criticism of Jeanie Buss”
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43 Comments
We getting professional
22:31 LMFAOOOOOO
These guys are multi millionaires. Not sorry for them.
I think there last two first round picks got them the ax. JHS was not an NBA player by any stretch and knecht is a scrub
Sounds like a couple entitled rich kids wore out their welcome. Every title probably means another paycheck. Let's blame the Rambi. 😮
jeanie step brothers
Great overview guys. This needed to happen, sucks that it went down like that. Ultimately Rob should understand that what goes around comes around. Might not be in 2026 or 2027 but this new infrastructure is really going in for the next GM.
Oh great
So the only sibs who actually did a good job and respected their father were the first to go
A warm "dobro jutro" to y'all
Magic Johnson the most Lakers Laker ever should of been a red flag when he stepped down because the circus that was the Lakers office. I'm so happy! Bring the dodgers strategy to the Lakers🎉
Buss bros- “but but but we found Austin Reaves!”
Walter- “but but but I’m trading him for Giannis” 😅
Lakers need to be better with drafting. Their 1st round pick track record has been meh.
Jeanie told you once before that she’s the mother of dragons. She don’t give a rat’s ahh about blood or brothers 😅
And we thought there would be Lakers news with only 2 games this week… Thank you Mr Walter… Ms. Buss…
Is anyone surprised that Jeanie threw her brothers under the "Buss?"
for me this is both of you at your very best! brutal honesty regarding the house of Lakers! your decades of experience covering the team on the ins and outs of laker ownership and all things front office! you don’t play it safe and yes to answer your question, this is exactly how most laker fans feel about Jeanie and the front office drama!
So Pelinka is a lying snake. Magic said the same thing
Jeannie will never fire the Rambii. Wish Jeannie and the entire front office were booted. Jesse and Joey didn't want to sell the team. Don't cry for them, they're each worth close to a billion dollars.
I've been a Lakers fan since the Lakers,"Showtime,"era and grew up basically watching Dr. Buss grow the Lakers franchise since 1980/1981.
It's unfortunate for the Buss family in general but what did they expect was going to happen when they sold the majority shares of the team to someone else?
Especially someone like Mark Walters who is known to come in, clean house and make decisions based on what he feels is best for his team!
When Jeanie and whoever else made major decisions for the team decided to sell the majority of the team they also had to know that control of that team would no longer be theres. And again, especially if it's Mark Walters who has a well known reputation for cleaning up and doing things the way that he feels are best for his team. A reputation that has proven to pay off given the Dodgers success.
It's common business knowledge that when you sell something, it then become the property of they who bought it. Giving them the right to do whatever they wish with it.
Let us not forget about the Rambii as well.
Jeese and Joey are really good at what they did. The JHS and Knecht drafts were a Rob decision. There better be a clear idea who will replace them AND it better be crystal clear that they will be better than Jesse and Joey who has proved that they belonged.
Great discussion Brian & Andy 😊
I hope Mark knows what he is doing with this restructuring. If I were him I would've kept the brothers. They were pretty good at team building and recognizing bball talent in the younger players.
Feels like the siblings don’t have a group thanksgiving dinner….
Heartwarming. Don’t know the inside story, but looks like just another big rich happy family.
This is a real life succession, can't wait till the documentary comes out.
Imagine working in the same organization/company as your siblings & not speaking to them in Months. I'm sorry but this is a failure of leadership for Jeanie. She is the Governor of the team and their older sister and she failed then especially when they seemingly took her side when she fired Jim & Johnny
I understand that the organization is working under new dynamics but there was a significantly better & more peaceful way of handling this. This is just a mess & sucks for the Buss family
She needs to freaking go too. I do not agree with this move at all and I hate the timing even more. Scouting season is upon and you do this. Absolutely ridiculous.
Next Buss under the bus will be Jeanie.
There is clearly a poor relationship between the siblings but it says a lot to me that Jeanie remains connected to the Lakers and the brothers are not!! 🤔🤔
Apologies! Somewhere in between my mic check and starting the show my settings must have changed/reverted or similar, so I'm coming in through my computer speakers as opposed to the microphone. Not as good a listen, so I appreciate you doing it anyway! BK
We can look to our own family dynamic to "relate" "empathize" "understand"….whats going on (marvin gaye 70's)
BUSSKEEPING😂😂😂
"THE TIMING" (is most telling…. and the crux of it all}
As a NY Yankees fan who absolutely despises the dodgers, I trust our new ownership. And yes I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan too
The way I see it they were probably dead weight
So long Jimbo!
Walter needs to dilute Pelinka's front office with smart people
New ownership did it.
Thanks Kam Bros! Finally, some real Lakers news. Last night, Spectrum led with "today's big story: LeBron returns". This type of "headline" is in keeping with the dribs and drabs of somewhat misleading medical updates we've received in the past. 😎
Steven Ass Smith “did LeBron get the buss buddies fired”
Jesse made it clear in his interview with the NYT yesterday that Rob Pelinka was totally responsible for the JHS and Knecht draft picks.
The Dr Jerry Buss Will is what the issue is. Easy enough to google. Did Dr Buss in his effort to be fair to his kids actually pit them against each other? Maybe. Did Dr Buss set the trap. Maybe. This is the way rich people argue. Competence is not even the issue.
Maybe the tension in the office every day was getting to be too much. Walters just ended it.
Maybe Deandre Ayton will have something funny to say at practice today.