Jeanie Buss' Ruthless Lakers Firing of Little-Known sister Janie Is Heartbreaking

It looks like the Los Angeles Lakers had their very own "Game of Thrones"-style Red Wedding.

The late Dr. Jerry Buss, the legendary former NBA owner who invented the Showtime Lakers and established one of the most iconic sports franchises in North America, wanted to keep the Lakers a family-run operation after he passed away in 2013.

Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss attends the game against the Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

It seems like Jeanie Buss, 64, had other plans.

The cutthroat firings of her little brothers, Joey, 41, who was alternate governor and vice president of research and development, and Jesse, 37, who was the assistant general manager, had already been known, but new details have emerged about her little-known sister, Janie, 62, who begged to keep her job before she planned to retire.

Jeanie Buss began to turn on LeBron James years ago, per @Baxter

- Grumbled about James “outsized ego”
- Felt Klutch exerted too much control
- Didn’t like how LeBron was considered a savior
- Lack of accountability over the Westbrook trade
- Privately mused about not giving… pic.twitter.com/OEFNVBgFho
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) January 21, 2026

Janie says she felt like a 'crumpled-up piece of paper'

Lakers star Luka Doncic gets a hug from governor Jeanie Buss. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Sadly, Jeanie reportedly didn't even have the guts to fire her siblings personally, leaving that arduous task to Lakers Senior Vice President of Finance and CFO, Joe McCormack.

Janie pleaded not to be fired, at least wanting the dignity to resign. Nope.

"She felt disappointed and disrespected, like a crumpled-up piece of paper thrown into the trash," Holmes wrote.

Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss and husband Jay Mohr attend the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Ouch! It's not a great look for the only Buss remaining in the Lakers new ownership group.

"I don't think my dad would be happy with the way things just went down," Janie told ESPN.

"Not at all."

Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss attends media day at the UCLA Health and Training Center. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Joey and Jesse most certainly agree, writing in a statement at the time of their firings in late November 2025, just before Thanksgiving no less, "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."

Something tells us dad would not have been happy with Jeanie. At least all of the siblings can cry on their $1 billion payout and still substantial 15% ownership stake.

Magic Johnson, Jeanie Buss, Gianna Bryant, Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant, Natalia Bryant and Rob Pelinka pose for photos. | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

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