Josh Kushner Dealt Setback as Jeanie Buss Set to Represent Lakers at Pivotal NBA Meeting

The first day of the NBA Board of Governors meeting is scheduled for Monday. For those unaware, the purpose of this meeting is for the governors of each NBA franchise to collectively vote on major league changes for the upcoming season. Apparently, despite a sale on the horizon for the Los Angeles Lakers, Jeanie Buss will be in attendance as the organization's governor.

Buss has been in quite the pickle ever since Mark Walter agreed to a $12.5 billion sale of the Lakers franchise to Josh Kushner. Jeanie's siblings want to sell the family's remaining 17.8% ownership stake; however, she insists on keeping it. This is due to her desire to remain the Lakers' governor, as she was promised by Walter. As part of her strategy to show she's unwilling to step down, Jeanie is expected to attend the Board of Governors meeting.

"Monday and Tuesday’s NBA Board of Governors session is a newsflash waiting to happen, straight down to who shows up to rep the Clippers and the Lakers," as per Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal. "Indications are that Steve Ballmer won’t and Jeanie Buss will, but either way, the teams of L.A. are bringing dirty laundry East to N.Y."

The reason Jeanie still has the right to be the governor is that the team hasn't officially been transferred to Kushner yet. Technically, Walter and Kushner came to an agreement in August. However, the deal is stuck in a two-step approval bottleneck, preventing it from being finalized.

According to sources, the NBA hasn't approved the sale as of yet. The NBA Board of Governors must first vote to approve the sale. Then there's the ongoing dispute between Jeanie and her siblings. A portion of the Lakers' assets is completely frozen due to the legal battle among the Buss siblings.

With all that in mind, Walter remains the majority owner of the Lakers, while Jeanie will remain the team's governor, at least until the court issues a ruling in December.

Josh Kushner Set to Replace Jeanie Buss if She Loses in Court

According to several reports, if Jeanie Buss is forced to step down as the Los Angeles Lakers' governor, the new owner, Josh Kushner, is expected to assume her role. That's only if Buss loses to her siblings in court.

Jeanie reportedly sued her siblings for going behind her back to sell the remaining 17.8% ownership stake to Kushner and company. An official court hearing will take place on December 8 later this year.

Now, if Jeanie finds herself victorious in court, she will be in a unique position. While Kushner technically owns the vast majority of the Lakers franchise, Buss will still be in charge. This is due to her keeping 17.8% of her share. NBA rules and guidelines state that a franchise's primary governor must own at least 15% of the team.

However, either way, Kushner already agreed to keep Buss around as the governor until 2030. His intention to replace her was for the future rather than the immediate situation.