Jeanie Buss will reportedly remain as governor of the Los Angeles Lakers for the foreseeable future despite the majority sale of the franchise to Mark Walter with that condition written into the actual purchase agreement. When Mark Cuban sold the Dallas Mavericks to the Adelson/Dumont families, he expected to continue running basketball operations, but his role was not contractually executed and he was out of the picture within a number of months.
Furthermore, Walter reportedly is motivated to have Buss remaining with the Lakers given her role on the business and marketing side of the team for decades.
“I think this was Mark Walter’s idea for her to stay on,” said Ramona Shelburne on ESPN Radio with Clinton Yates. “In getting to know Jeanie over the last four years and understanding how important she is to the brand—because the reason this franchise went for $10 billion is not because an NBA team is really worth $10 billion. They don’t even own their building. It’s the brand.
“I think Jeanie Buss understands the Lakers’ brand better than anybody. I think she is in running [the team] and keeping that brand alive. And also how she runs the business. How she runs the franchise.
“It’s in writing. Mark Cuban did not get his role in writing. Jeanie Buss’ is in writing. That’s part of the deal. She’s staying on for the foreseeable future to run the team. There’s going to be a great continuity in this transfer of ownership.”
