Every so often, the six children of Jerry Buss that make up the family trust have a public dispute over the Los Angeles Lakers that reminds us how little they see eye-to-eye when it comes to their father’s vision for the team he bought in 1979. The latest instance came Monday when ESPN's Shams Charania reported the Buss siblings agreed to sell their remaining 17.8 percent stake in the Lakers as part of Mark Walters' sale to Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger, effectively removing Jeanie Buss as governor of the team... only for an attorney for Jeanie to write a letter contesting the sell. "This is just the latest instance of a years-long pattern whereby Joey and Jesse Buss leak false, defamatory and pernicious 'information' to Mr. Charania for the malicious purpose of doing harm to the Los Angeles Lakers so long as Dr. Buss's chosen successor, Jeanie Buss, carries out her father's wishes," the letter read. In essence, a year after the Buss' sold their majority stake to Walter -- a process many of the siblings were frustrated by and one that allowed Jeanie to remain governor through 2030 -- the siblings have now voted to sell their remaining stake without the blessing of Jeanie. Thus, we're headed for another public family feud. And can they please spare us this time? I would love nothing more than if the Buss' could settle their differences privately for once. Why do we need to be in this? You mean to tell me there was no way for Joey, Jesse, Jim, Johnnie and Janie to figure out if they could overthrow Jeanie without leaking a report to ESPN? If they feel so confident this sale will hold up, with ESPN reporting they only needed a majority vote to enact the tag-along provision of Walters' sale, what was the point of leaking this news other than to stick it to Jeanie? They could have simply let the process play out. Instead, we get this report, which Jeanie predictably disputed because she fancies herself as some sort of Lakers steward, which she isn't wrong about. But here we go again with Jerry's kids trying to sort out things publicly he should have handled privately. And at this point, seek counseling. Look, I obviously don't have a dog in the fight. Though I see Jeanie's side of wanting to uphold what she believes to be her father's wishes, my primary stance is that none of this is our business. No matter who's right or wrong or what the issues are, it'll all be settled in court. So what's the point of involving the media other than to gain public favor? I hate to be the one to break it to the Buss', but most of us don't care. Sort it out alone and leave us out of it. Making a case for the Fever's 2 MVPs
The WNBA MVP race is shaping up for a fascinating finish between players that includes a rookie (Olivia Miles), a perennial MVP candidate (A'ja Wilson) and two players from the same team (Kelsey Mitchell and Caitlin Clark), among potential others. FTW's Jeff Smith and Cory Woodroof laid out the cases for the Indiana Fever duo, and though both have a strong claim for the award, Mitchell's might be the most unassailable today:
"She's the league's second-best scorer in points averaged (24.2), only behind A'ja Wilson," Cory wrote. "Even with a generational scorer on the roster like Clark, you could make the argument that Mitchell's relentless speed and sharp scoring from any part of the court make her the league's most dangerous guard on offense. When she's on, nobody can slow her down. There's a reason Olivia Miles called guarding Mitchell her low-key 'welcome to the WNBA' moment."
There's still a month left in the season for everyone to strengthen their resumes. Photo of the Day
Quick hits: Hayden Panettiere tributes ... Tom Brady on preseason ... and more
Tributes poured in early Monday for Hayden Panettiere, the Nashville star who tragically died at 36. Tom Brady had a lot to say about NFL stars opting to skip the preseason, and he brought receipts. Paul George sent a crystal-clear message to Celtics fans after landing in Boston. Anthony Edwards' bold takes about LaMelo Ball and the Timberwolves are already in midseason form. Kyle Schwarber saved a young fan from potentially getting hit by a warmup pitch.
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