The Los Angeles Lakers have removed Joey and Jesse Buss from their front-office roles as part of a significant restructuring of the franchise’s basketball operations department.
The move is effective immediately, the brothers told ESPN’s Shams Charania.
In a joint statement, the longtime executives expressed appreciation for their two decades with the organization and acknowledged the emotional weight of their departure.
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“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.”
There were also some reports that the Lakers also let go of much of their scouting staff as a part of the move.
Joey and Jesse Buss have been central figures in the Lakers’ scouting and player development over the last decade.
Their work played a key role in identifying and acquiring several impactful contributors late in the draft and through the undrafted free agent market, with names like Austin Reaves, Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr. and Max Christie.
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Their reputation for finding gems late in drafts or through unconventional avenues became a defining strength of the organization during multiple transitional eras from the end of the Kobe Bryant era to the LeBron James era.
Despite their dismissal from basketball operations, the brothers will continue to hold their minority ownership stakes in the franchise.
The Lakers have not yet publicly detailed the scope of their restructuring or announced replacements, but the departure of the Buss brothers marks one of the first front office phases from majority stake owner Mark Walter.
A new ownership era is just beginning.