Lakers Owner Jeanie Buss Is Behind New Team Documentary ‘Legacy’ on Hulu
Who owns the Lakers? Learn more about the NBA team’s ownership now that Hulu has debuted the docuseries ‘Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers.’
Aug. 15 2022, Published 4:01 p.m. ET
After HBO dramatized the Los Angeles Lakers story this spring with Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Jeanie Buss is getting a chance to tell her side of the story. Buss, who owns the Lakers with a group of co-owners, is an executive producer of the new 10-part Hulu documentary Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers, directed by Antoine Fuqua.
“This [series] tries to give context to the people who were behind some of these great Lakers’ moments,” Buss tells Variety. “While it does have a lot of Buss family information, it has a lot about our players and what they bring to the table, especially players that you don’t hear a lot about.”
With the first part of the docuseries streaming on Hulu on Monday, Aug. 15, here’s more about Buss and the other businesspeople who are named as co-owners in the Lakers’ team directory.
The Buss Family Trusts are the Lakers’ majority owner.
When former Lakers owner Jerry Buss died in 2013, he left his six children with a family trust owning 66 percent of the team, according to the Los Angeles Times. These days, Jeanie is the team’s governor, responsible “for running all aspects of the Los Angeles Lakers organization,” according to her bio.
Discord between the Buss siblings has made headlines over the years, and Legacy does delve into the family drama. “There really isn’t any part of this story that I feel that we tried to hide,” Jeanie explains to Variety. “This is truth-telling. There are messy parts to it, and that’s what makes it a human story.”
Mark Walter and Todd Boehly own 27 percent of the team.
In July 2021, Mark Walter and Todd Boehly, who were already part-owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers, purchased a 27-percent interest in the Lakers from AEG founder Phil Anschutz. Walter is the co-founder and CEO of the financial services firm Guggenheim Partners, and Boehly is the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of the holding company Eldridge.
Real estate tycoon Ed Roski bought his stake in 1998.
When Anschutz bought his interest in the Lakers in 1998, he did so along with Ed Roski, a business partner of his in the company L.A. Arena Co., according to the Los Angeles Times. According to Forbes, Roski has built up a $5.1-billion net worth as the developer behind Majestic Realty, which owns more than 87 million square feet of industrial real estate in the U.S.
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong bought Magic Johnson’s share of the team in 2011.
In 2011, former Lakers player Earvin “Magic” Johnson sold his share of the team to Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, founder of the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical companies American Pharma Partners (APP) and Abraxis Bioscience (ABII), per NBA.com. “It is an honor for me to be part of the Lakers family and the nation’s foremost basketball franchise,” Soon-Shiong said at the time. “The Lakers’ leadership and spirit of community engendered by Dr. Jerry Buss and his family is an inspiration to us all.”