LeBron James, Buss family, new ownership: The craziest Lakers offseason ever

If you’re a Laker fan, go see your doctor. Your blood pressure is high.You have new crease lines on your forehead from shock.

You have whiplash from shaking your head in disbelief. This offseason has been heart pounding.It has been eyebrow raising.

It has been jarring. LeBron James stunned the world by leaving the Lakers in free agency after eight seasons. The Lakers left everyone crossing their fingers after mortgaging their future on Walker Kessler, whom they acquired in a sign-and-trade from Utah on a four-year, $130 million deal, sending out unprotected first round picks in 2031 and 2033 alongside pick swaps in 2028 and 2030. Then Mark Walter sent shockwaves through the sports universe by selling the Lakers to former Disney CEO Bob Iger and venture capitalist Josh Kushner just 10 months after buying the team.The encore came on Monday. Within a few-hour stretch, Laker fans had to digest the news that the Buss family was selling their 17.8% stake in the franchise to the team’s new owners after a 47-year reign, only to quickly learn that Jeanie Buss was waging war against her siblings to block the deal and remain the team’s governor. Check on your friends who are Laker fans. They’re not okay. Just ask Laker superfan Flea, the founding member and bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Flea, whose real name is Michael Peter Balzary, took to X on Monday to lament what has been one of the most wild offseasons in Laker history, if not the wildest. “Oh lakers, I just wanna get lost in the transcendent and telepathic communal cosmos of the orange bouncing ball why do you do [this] to me,” he wrote.It’s a fair question.This offseason has been so drama-filled that it’s almost comical.At this point, this isn’t sports.

It’s satire.And it’s far from over.The board of governors still has to approve the sale from Walter to Iger and Kushner.What’s going to happen with Jeanie Buss?Meanwhile, the basketball side of things is at a standsti...