Lakers fire Joey Bass and Jesse Bass from front office following ownership change

Joey Buss and Jesse Buss no longer work at Los Angeles Lakers‘ front office following the franchise’s recent ownership change, a person with knowledge of the move told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Lakers have not publicly announced the firing of the two children of longtime Lakers owner Jerry Bass, who died in 2013. The Lakers are also overhauling the scouting staff that worked with the brothers.

The Buss brothers confirmed their departure in a statement issued to ESPN, although both will retain their inherited minority ownership stakes under new controlling owner Mark Walter.

Jesse Bass was the assistant general manager, while Joey Bass was the Lakers’ deputy governor and vice president of research and development.

“We are extremely honored to have been a part of this organization for the past 20 seasons,” Joey and Jesse Bass said in a statement. “Thank you Laker Nation for embracing our family every step of the way. We wish things could have been different with the way we ended our time with the team. In times like these, we wish we could ask our dad what he would have thought about it all.”

Jerry Bass had at least seven children, and six worked for the Lakers at some point during his ownership.

Jeanie Buss became the Lakers’ governor when their father died. Jim Buss was the Lakers’ executive vice president of basketball operations until Ginny ousted his brother in 2017, firing both general manager Mitch Kupchak and leaving the basketball side of the business to Magic Johnson and current general manager Rob Pelinka.

Walter completed the acquisition of a controlling stake in the Lakers three weeks ago in a sale originally announced in June that valued the franchise at $10 billion. Jeannie Bass will remain the Lakers’ governor for the foreseeable future, but the Lakers are now primarily owned by Walter, the billionaire owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Joey and Jesse Bass have been involved in Lakers scouting and player development for many years, and have been praised for their roles in the Lakers’ successful drafts and free agent signings.

Perhaps sensing impending changes in the Lakers’ leadership structure following the decision to sell the team, the brothers launched an investment firm in September called Buss Sports Capital.

Associated Press reports.

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