The unease began earlier today, when it was announced that long-time Los Angeles Lakers executives and minority owners Joey and Jesse Buss, the children of the late Dr. Jerry Buss, the beloved former Lakers owner, had been fired from the organization by new management led by Mark Walter. Soon after, veteran NBA insider Shams Charania provided more details on their release.

Charania, appearing on ESPN, reported, “Sources tell me that the Lakers have fired, effective immediately, two minority owners as well as leading basketball executives in Joey and Jesse Buss. Most of the front office scouting department has been fired today.”

He continued, “You think about just going back to when Mark Walter took over. Possibly, these changes were on the horizon eventually. Jeanie Buss has stayed on as the governor. But Joey and Jesse Buss, interestingly, were the two siblings that voted against the sale of the $10 billion sale of the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter.” Walter became the owner earlier this year, and it was reported at the time that his approval was not unanimous. However, it wasn’t known which of the six Buss children had disapproved, but now, more details have been revealed.

The 31-year-old also explained their previous roles, saying, “They have been responsible, they’ve been at the key center of the Lakers scouting department. Think about players like Austin Reaves, Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma, Julius Randle, on and on and on.” Many of these players have become key pieces on various teams: Randle eventually won Most Improved Player, Caruso won a championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder as one of their best perimeter defenders, Kuzma is one of the best players next to Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee, and Reaves has turned into an All-Star caliber player in LA.

Charania also delivered a message from Jesse Buss: “I just spoke to Jesse Buss today, and he told me, ‘It was Dr. Buss’ idea for Joey and I to run basketball operations one day. But Jeanie has effectively kept herself in place with her siblings fired.’” After Dr. Buss’ death, there has been an unmistakable fracture within the family, with brothers Johnny and Jim being sued by sister (and Lakers governor) Jeanie Buss back in 2017 after the two tried to depose her as team president by initiating a vote in the board of directors.

Moving on, their firing marked the end of an era, but their influence on the Lakers runs deeper than a single decision.

Inside the brothers’ legacy and their final message to Los Angeles Lakers fans

For the last two decades, Joey and Jesse Buss have occupied roles that quietly shaped the Los Angeles Lakers‘ identity behind the scenes. Joey served as the vice president of research and development and was also the president and CEO of the South Bay Lakers, the G League affiliate. Jesse was LA’s assistant general manager and a long-time director of scouting, overseeing the draft process year-round.

When the news of their firing came out, the brothers released a statement, saying, “We are extremely honored to have been part of this organization for the last 20 seasons. Thank you to Laker Nation for embracing our family every step of the way. We wish things could be different with the way our time ended with the team. At times like this, we wish we could ask our Dad what he would think about it all.” It was a rare moment of emotional weight, something bigger than the game of basketball.

Their departure marks new owner Mark Walter’s first significant change in the team’s management, and closes the chapter on the Buss family’s hold on the Lakers’ talent pipeline. Their farewell is a signal, showing that now, with the old guard no longer in charge of the final decisions, things are changing fast.