Shams Charania is not backing down after Jeanie Buss\u2019 legal team accused the ESPN insider of inaccurately reporting the latest twist in the Lakers\u2019 increasingly messy ownership saga.<\/p>\n
Appearing Tuesday on \u201cThe Pat McAfee Show,\u201d Charania addressed<\/a> a letter from Buss\u2019 attorney that accused him of falsely reporting that all six Buss siblings voted to sell the family\u2019s remaining 17.8% stake in the franchise.<\/p>\n The statement specifically claimed Charania \u201cfalsely reported that the six Buss siblings voted to sell\u201d the stake to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger and that Jeanie was \u201cout\u201d as controlling owner.<\/p>\n Mark Walter, left, a majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Jeanie Buss, minority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, talk as the Lakers play the Chicago Bulls at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 12, 2026. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images<\/p>\n Charania took direct issue with that characterization.<\/p>\n \u201cThat letter included my name in it, which I do find interesting,\u201d Charania said. \u201cI do have to make it clear, I fully stand by my reporting.\u201d<\/p>\n He then zeroed in on what he believes Buss\u2019 legal team got wrong.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first line of the statement from the lawyer said that I reported that the six Buss siblings voted to sell,\u201d Charania said. \u201cThat key sentence right there is inaccurate.\u201d<\/p>\n Buss\u2019 attorney, Adam Streisand, went further in Monday\u2019s statement, alleging a \u201cyears-long pattern\u201d in which Joey and Jesse Buss have leaked \u201cfalse, defamatory and pernicious\u201d information to Charania in an effort to damage the Lakers while Jeanie carries out what the attorney described as their late father Jerry Buss\u2019 wishes.<\/p>\n Charania did not retreat from his reporting in response to those accusations, instead emphasizing that his report concerned whether the family had enough votes to move forward with the sale.<\/p>\n Shams Charania appears on ESPN\u2019s NBA Draft coverage on June 23, 2026, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n That distinction has become central to the latest round of Buss family infighting surrounding the Lakers. In ESPN\u2019s current report<\/a>, Charania wrote that the family trust received enough votes to approve the proposed sale, with at least five of the six siblings voting in favor.<\/p>\n ESPN separately reported that Jeanie did not participate in the vote. According to Charania\u2019s sources, four votes were required to trigger the provision allowing the sale.<\/p>\n That is different, however, from whether those votes can actually force Jeanie to give up the family\u2019s stake.<\/p>\n Los Angeles Lakers president Jeanie Buss is seen during a preseason NBA game against the Golden State Warriors on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. ZUMAPRESS.com \/ MEGA<\/p>\n