Second-year Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick was asked about the franchise firing front-office executives and scouts Joey Buss and Jesse Buss after a practice session on Thursday.
“I found out this morning that it was going to happen,” Redick said, via Khobi Price of the Southern California News Group.
“But I don’t have any comment on personnel decisions as it relates to the organization.”
Besides the Buss brothers, a large chunk of the Lakers’ former scouting department was let go, including Sean Buss, Aaron Jackson, Moses Zapata and Can Pelister. The front-office overhaul comes less than a month after Mark Walter’s $10-billion takeover as the new Lakers majority owner was finalized.
Buss Bros. Were Respected Scouts
Joey and Jesse Buss were widely credited with developing Austin Reaves and Kyle Kuzma. While the latter was drafted No. 27 overall in 2017, before becoming a key piece of the Anthony Davis trade in 2019, Reaves joined the Lakers’ Summer League team in 2021 after going undrafted, ultimately becoming a star on the team.
The LA Times’ Broderick Turner and Thuc Nhi Nguyen explained how Joey and Jesse had played a key role in the Lakers unearthing unheralded talents.
“Joey was team president and chief executive of the Lakers’ G League team, the South Bay Lakers, and Jesse was the Lakers’ director of scouting.
“The two were given a lot of credit for helping the Lakers find and develop Austin Reaves, Kyle Kuzma, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr. and Max Christie.”
Lakers Turning a New Leaf
Joey and Jesse Buss issued a statement to ESPN thanking the Lakers.
“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.”
While Joey and Jesse Buss will no longer work for the Lakers, sister Jeanie Buss will stay on as team governor for at least another five years, per multiple reports.
In their statement to ESPN, the brothers revealed that their father, the late Dr. Jerry Buss, wanted them to run basketball operations, but their sister had other plans.
“Dr. Buss’ idea was for Joey and I to run basketball operations one day,” Jesse Buss told ESPN. “But Jeanie has effectively kept herself in place with her siblings fired.”
The Lakers (11-4) will next host the Utah Jazz (5-9) on Sunday night.
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