Could two members of the Buss family add some green and gold to their purple and gold?<\/p>\n
Joey and Jesse Buss, fired last month<\/a> as Lakers executives, have explored pursuing an ownership stake in baseball\u2019s Athletics, according to two people familiar with the discussions but not authorized to speak publicly about them.<\/p>\n The discussions were described as preliminary, and it is unclear whether they might result in a deal. Jesse Buss did not reply to a message seeking comment.<\/p>\n In September, Joey and Jesse \u2014 sons of legendary Lakers owner Jerry Buss \u2014 announced the launch of Buss Sports Capital<\/a> \u201cto pursue high-impact investment opportunities across the global sports ecosystem.\u201d The announcement said Buss Sports Capital would aim \u201cto partner with forward-thinking professionals to unlock new opportunities in professional sports.\u201d<\/p>\n Joey and Jesse Buss retain their stakes of Lakers ownership. In October, Dodgers owner Mark Walter closed his purchase of majority ownership in the Lakers, in a deal that valued the Lakers at $10 billion<\/a>. Walter tasked Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and former general manager Farhan Zaidi to assess the Lakers\u2019 front office operations.<\/p>\n Last month, Joey Buss was dismissed as vice president of research and development and Jesse Buss as assistant general manager.<\/p>\n The A\u2019s left Oakland after the 2024 season. They plan to move from their temporary Sacramento home to Las Vegas in 2028, and construction there is underway on an enclosed 30,000-seat stadium originally estimated to cost $1.5 billion. In July, team owner John Fisher told the Nevada Independent<\/a> the cost had risen into \u201cthe $2 billion range.\u201d<\/p>\n Fisher obtained $380 million in public funding<\/a>. He is responsible for the balance of construction costs. In 2023, The Times first reported<\/a> that Fisher hoped to generate $500 million toward stadium costs by valuing the A\u2019s at $2 billion and selling 25% of the team to minority investors.<\/p>\n Fisher has since used a higher valuation in soliciting investors. CNBC last year estimated the A\u2019s franchise value at $2 billion, Forbes at $1.8 billion, and Sportico at $1.6 billion.<\/p>\n