Category: Basketball

Put another shrimp on the barbie in Sacramento, mates. Ben Simmons is coming to the Sacramento Kings.

Just in: Three-time All-Star Ben Simmons has agreed on a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Sacramento Kings, his agents Max Wiepking, Sean Tribe and Ryan Arney tell me and @MarcJSpears. The one-time All-NBA star is back in the NBA for a 10th season after sitting out 2025-26. pic.twitter.com/xj5X7lr3op

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 4, 2026

Simmons put down his fishing pole and got back into the gym this summer, joining the Australian national team in a mini-camp this summer and later showcasing for NBA executives in Florida.

Ben Simmons is back on the court hitting jumpers with the Australian men's national team in Melbourne 👀

Simmons is attempting an NBA comeback with several teams reportedly interested 🔥

(Via @courtsidemelbourne) pic.twitter.com/lxMAaCEZMu

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) August 12, 2026

What Kings general manager Scott Perry saw impressed him enough to offer Simmons a veteran minimum contract for next season. The team was reportedly looking for a veteran mentor and backup for Darius Acuff, Jr., the No. 7 pick in this year’s draft. They chose Simmons, even though they might not want him to advise Acuff on shot selection, free throw shooting, communicating with the front office, three-point shooting, or injury prevention.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the Warriors were “in the mix” for Simmons, along with the New York Knicks. The Warriors eventually chose to sign Brandon Williams and Georges Niang to fill out the roster, which could mean they weren’t impressed by Simmons but could also mean Simmons preferred the opportunity in Sacramento to help restart his career.

Simmons was the No. 1 pick in 2016, sitting out his first NBA season with an injury and sitting out another full season in 2021-22 with a holdout and an injury. The Brooklyn Nets dealt for Simmons in 2022 after James Harden demanded a trade, and Simmons suited up for 90 games in three seasons in Brooklyn, eventually getting a buyout and joining the Los Angeles Clippers. Presumably, he got a sponsorship deal with Boingo Wireless for his trouble.

Having been dogged by health problems, specifically a chronically bad back, for years, Simmons stepped away from basketball last year. He bought a fishing team, the South Florida Sails, and spent time working and competing with the team. Leading into the summer, he was reportedly feeling much better and ramping up to return to the NBA.

For years, Simmons has been hesitant to shoot because of his struggles at the foul line, and hesitant in general because his back and legs were in so much pain. If he can actually play regularly and avoid injury, he’s still a 6-foot-10 point guard who can be a monster defensively, even if he’s never going to shoot threes and might not shoot much at all.

However, it’s not the ideal place for Simmons to make a comeback, except he should be able to get plenty of minutes for the Kings. It’s not great for Simmons that head coach Doug Christie seems to be teetering on the brink of getting fired, Domantas Sabonis wants to be traded, Zach LaVine is almost definitely getting traded, and Vivek Ranadive is the owner.

In positive news, there’s a really weird ziggurat in West Sac, there’s two big rivers where he can fish, and the movie “Lady Bird” is a cinema classic.

Once again, the Warriors were mentioned as a team that just fell short of acquiring a player, just days after we learned the Warriors didn’t trade for Jaren Jackson, Jr. It’s a strange trend and almost feels like someone in the Golden State front office has a humiliation fetish when these things get leaked.

It was perfectly reasonable for the Warriors not to reach an agreement with Simmons. Maybe they were worried about adding another injury-prone player to the roster. Maybe Simmons didn’t provide the floor-stretching outside shooting they could get from Niang. Maybe Draymond Green said something offensive about Aussies on a podcast.

It’s just weird that after so many trades and signings, someone makes sure to publicize that the Warriors did not succeed in making that move themselves. As the world of Warriors news is quite slow in early September, we’ll take it, but is Kirk Lacob really that thirsty for clicks?

Here we go again. And maybe for the last time.

Charles Barkley, 63, has put another timeline on the end of his “Inside the NBA” run, but he insists that not only will he be leaving, but Ernie Johnson may be departing with him.

Barkley said during a recent appearance on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” that he expects the upcoming 2026-27 NBA season to be his last on “Inside the NBA,” adding that Johnson will be joining him in retirement.

“Me and Ernie are a package deal,” Barkley said. “So right now, unless Ernie changes his mind, next year is my last year, 100 percent.”

Johnson, 70, has not publicly announced his retirement, making Barkley’s revelation with Simmons particularly notable.

This isn’t the first time Barkley hinted at leaving the show, although it came under different circumstances last time.

As the future felt uncertain for “Inside the NBA,” Barkley indicated that the 2024-25 NBA season would be the end for him. It was also the end of the NBA on TNT, with the channel heading toward missing out on the league’s new media rights deal.

“I told TNT I was going to retire at 60. And they were like, ‘Oh, he’s full of s–t. He’s not gonna retire,’” Barkley recalled to Simmons.

“So we come up, I said, ‘Hey guys, it’s my last year.’ They’re like, ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘I told y’all six years ago I was gonna retire at 60.’ They’re like, ‘You were serious?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I was serious.’ Then they said to me, ‘Do us a favor. Stay two more years, ’til we get the new deal.’ I talked it over with my friends. I said, ‘OK, I’ll tell you what. I’ll stay ’til 62,’ which was last year … little did I know these f–king idiots was gonna lose the NBA,” he added.

ESPN eventually added the show to its lineup, keeping Barkley and Johnson together alongside co-hosts Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith and the same production crew.

Barkley said Johnson called him after TNT lost its NBA rights and asked him to stay, in part so the show’s longtime behind-the-scenes employees could remain employed.

“The only reason I stayed is so everybody could keep their job behind the scenes,” Barkley told Simmons, explaining that he has worked with many members of the staff for more than 25 years, a point he has made on numerous occasions.

Barkley has also noted that he met with NBC and Amazon after TNT lost the NBA, with NBC offering him more money than he was making at Turner.

Johnson has hosted “Inside the NBA” since 1990, while Barkley joined the program in 2000.

Less than two months after losing his job as the Spurs’ play-by-play announcer following accusations of an affair with a relative of a San Antonio player, Jacob Tobey is back in the booth.

Tobey announced Friday that he is returning to the Spurs’ broadcast, acknowledging that he still has work to do to rebuild trust within the organization and community.

“I thank the Spurs for allowing me time to step away to sort out issues in my personal life,” he wrote on X. “I understand that I will have to regain trust within the organization and across our community, a community where I will continue to be present with enthusiasm and passion. I believe I have the best job in the world and am thrilled to be able to continue as the team’s play-by-play announcer.”

In July, an Instagram Story was posted on Tobey’s account alleging that he had cheated on his girlfriend with Loren Waters, who is the sister of Spurs guard Lindy Waters III. 

“This is my girlfriend of six years,” the post read. “But I cheated on her with Loren Waters. So feel free to continue following me if you really think I’m a good guy because I’m not. :)”

The account then posted pictures of what appeared to be photo booth prints of Tobey and Loren Waters kissing.

“Me and the new girl,” the photo caption read. 

The firing sparked some backlash, with critics arguing that his personal life should not have cost him his broadcasting job.

Collin Cowherd questioned the decision on his eponymous show after news of his canning emerged. 

“I learned something new today, that you can get fired in America for cheating on your girlfriend. I had no idea that was legal. That literally happened, it was a big story,” Cowherd said. “You can get fired in America for cheating on your — not your wife, a girlfriend. Feels like he should hire an attorney, that is a crazy story. Um, whatever.”

Danny Green, an NBA Finals winner with the Spurs, said Tobey was a “really good dude” and that his private decisions did not merit the team letting him go.

“I love everything the Spurs do and how they operate as an organization,” Green said on his “No Fouls Given” podcast. “They run a tight ship. They don’t deal with no BS, and they don’t like drama, so I understand certain issues. They’re going to be like, ‘No, we can’t allow this.’

“To me, this was not one of those issues.”

We’re less than a month from training camp, and one question from the summer had been lingering: who will be the Spurs’ play-by-play announcer? Well, we have our answer, and it will by the same as the last two seasons: Jacob Tobey. His return comes after rumors swirled in early July that he had either been fired or resigned after someone, presumably his longtime girlfriend at the time, posted on his Instagram account that he had been unfaithful, having an affair with the sister of former Spur Lindy Watters III.

While the rumors of his departure were never confirmed or denied by Tobey or the Spurs, he hadn’t been seen in public with the organization since the introductory press conference for the Spurs’ four rookies and had gone radio silent on social media…until today. He announced his return on X, thanking the Spurs for giving him a chance to sort out his personal life and acknowledging he would have to regain the public’s trust.

“I thank the Spurs for allowing me time to step away to sort out issues in my personal life. I understand that I will have to regain trust within the organization and across our community, a community where I will continue to be present with enthusiasm and passion. I believe I have the best job in the world and am thrilled to be able to continue as the team’s play-by-play announcer.”

I thank the Spurs for allowing me time to step away to sort out issues in my personal life. I understand that I will have to regain trust within the organization and across our community, a community where I will continue to be present with enthusiasm and passion. I believe I…

— Jacob Tobey (@JacobRTobey) September 4, 2026

The news of his return was also confirmed to KSAT 12 by the Spurs’ vice president of communications, Tom James, who told the outlet, “Yes, we can confirm that Jacob is our Spurs TV play-by-play announcer.”

The shocking rumors of his alleged departure came soon after he had signed a multi-year contract extension. It turns out they were just that: rumors, but without directly naming any incidents, Tobey’s announcement today seems to acknowledge that something inappropriate occured, and he vows to do better.

Tobey first joined the Spurs broadcast team ahead of the 2024-25 season after longtime announcer Bill Land retired while dealing with blood cancer. He quickly started building a good partnership with Sean Elliot and the Spurs community and was often a part of community events supporting Native American Heritage. Mistakes happen, but the best thing we can all do is learn from them, and it probably won’t take Tobey too long to regain the goodwill of the community again.

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread

Jeanie Buss remains the Lakers’ governor. 

But that title — as well as many things relating to the Lakers — hangs in the balance after the last month of the Lakers’ ownership saga.

There will be a majority ownership change after Mark Walter agreed to sell his shares of the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger at a historic valuation of $12.5 billion, less than a year after Walter bought the team from the Buss family. 

As for Jeanie Buss and her family, they’re set for another date in court as Jeanie attempts to block her five siblings (Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss) from selling the family’s 17.8% share of the Lakers. 

That litigation, with the initial court hearing being pushed back from Nov. 5 to Dec. 8, will have a significant impact on the Lakers’ internal dynamics.

If Jeanie Buss’ siblings are able to sell the ownership stake, then she won’t be able to remain the Lakers’ governor. 

If Buss is successful with blocking her siblings’ attempted sale, she’ll retain the ownership stake in the Lakers (through the Buss family trust) required for her to remain the franchise’s governor (at least 15%, by league rules).

But it doesn’t end there.

A source close to the NBA told The Post’s Charles Gasparino that Kushner will be the Lakers’ governor once he and Iger’s purchase is official.

Which makes sense. 

As The Post reported, Iger is expected to be most actively involved in the Lakers’ day-to-day operations between him and Kushner. 

But with Kushner being the person expected to have the largest shares of the Lakers, as if Iger doesn’t have the minimum 15% ownership stake required to be an NBA franchise’s governor, Kushner being in the role would be appropriate. 

But there’s a conflict: Iger told The Post in the immediate aftermath of the sale that he and Kushner intended to honor the agreement made between Walter and Buss that would have Buss remain the franchise’s governor through at least 2030. 

That comment came with a very important caveat.

“If things change, they’ll change,” Iger told The Post at the time. “But we’re going into this with enormous respect and appreciation for who [Buss] is and what she represents in the organization.”

Change appeared to be on the horizon when the Buss siblings announced their wishes to sell their ownership stake of the Lakers. But that change may not happen if Jeanie Buss gets her wish and has the attempted sale legally blocked.

It’s part of the reason the Lakers’ plans under new ownership aren’t known.

Not just because there isn’t precedent of a Kusher/Iger-led regime for an NBA franchise. 

But because what will be the Lakers’ internal hierarchy isn’t clear.  

And with the majority ownership sale not official and still under review from the league, and the Buss family’s court date pushed back a month, those answers will likely take a while to gather.

Kevon Looney knows what NBA championship pedigree looks like and has seen the leadership it takes to reach that level.

Looney (who signed a one-year, $3.9 million contract with the Lakers in July) spent the first 10 seasons of his NBA career with the Warriors. He won three NBA championships with Golden State and thrived under the leadership of superstar guard Steph Curry.

This is why it was awesome to hear how highly Looney spoke of Luka Dončić’s leadership after Dončić brought the Lakers’ roster to his home country of Slovenia last month.

“Man, I’ve been in the league for a while, and that [trip to Sloevnia] was my first time doing something like that. Going to somebody’s country, and bringing us out there, and spending that much time together. I never did that before,” Looney said of Dončić during a recent interview with ESPN Radio’s “Mason & Ireland” podcast.

“That just shows his character, shows that he really wants to win. He wants the people to know his background and why he is how he is. And I think he did a good job of that,” Looney added.

“He’s a great player and a great leader. He likes to show what he can do on the court, and then we got to see his personality off the court. So it was great. We’re going to follow him and run through a wall for him,” Looney concluded.

Kevon Looney has praised the leadership he’s seen from Luka Doncic so far

“That (the Slovenia trip) was my first time doing something like that. That shows his character and that he really wants to win. We’re going to follow him and run through a wall for him.” pic.twitter.com/I4etQaL5Gs

— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) September 4, 2026

While the Lakers played a lot of basketball during that Slovenia trip, the focus seemed to be more on building camaraderie off the court.

And based on what Looney said, this appears to be where Dončić made the strongest impression.

This week, time ceased to exist—at least how we know it—allusions abounded, and we put on our beer goggles in anticipation of what’s to come. How bright will that future be? Will Kel’el Ware grab his opportunity with both hands? And if Brayden Burries looks in a mirror, does he see Dwyane Wade?

Conceits aside, we really wanted to see just how highly Bucks fans rate Burries. He received ample praise for his Summer League play, leading to him being ranked by ESPN as the player “who will prove to be the biggest draft steal,” but even in that article the write-up angled on his older age, status as a combo-guard, and the Bucks “sorely needing the injection of backcourt talent” rather than actually considering how good he might become. Author Jeremy Woo even felt the need to include the disclaimer that his vote went to Kingston Flemings. This isn’t new, either. Pre-draft, it seemed every scouting report described Burries as a “high floor” player, with the implication being that his ceiling isn’t all that high—at least in comparison to the top end of his draft class.

As it turns out, Bucks fans think he’ll be pretty good. Pretty, pretty, pretty good.

Clearly, that “high floor” descriptor has made its way into our collective consciousness, with only 4% of fans thinking he’d cap out as a reserve player. Beyond that floor, fans see his ceiling as considerably high, with 41% predicting he’ll become an All-Star:

Nicknackpattywhack: I think he definitely can be at least All Star caliber if not more. This team has a lot of players to sift through and I hope they let him get as many minutes as possible to help move his development along.

While many see Burries as a key piece, a significant portion of fans (33%) think this means he’ll be a starter extraordinaire (or even just starter):

naveed2000s: I don’t think he’ll ever quite get to all-star, but that’s inherently a popularity contest, nice flex for hall of fame votes and a nice feather in the cap, but not everything. I foresee Burries as a guy that can come in and contribute right away, play decent to solid defense, be a 15 ppg career guy and take over games at times, basically a number three option on a good team level player.

Mitchell Maurer: Brayden Burries might not be as flashy as other NBA guards but he strikes me as someone who’s going to be steady, consistent, and reliable. Derrick White developed this reputation in San Antonio, though he never took more than a supporting scoring role. Derrick White is a top-10-percentile outcome for Burries, that would be outstanding!

And while some fans rightfully feel I’m overly optimistic, it turns out I’m not the only one who thinks Burries has “it”—22% see him reaching All-NBA status:

R984: I’m all in on the Burries hype train. All NBA. The crazy point guard class kinda buried him and guys with unusual body types are often overlooked, but I think if Burries was 10lbs lighter with 2 inch larger wingspan, in a normal draft, he would’ve been a top 3 pick.

Knuckles: I am going All-NBA. I could jump into why I think his ceiling is sky high (and will at some point) and why we have reason to be excited to see what he even can do this year, and how his physical profile is something to get excited about alone, and so on and so on, but I actually want to take the All-NBA stance because honestly, as a fan, anything else feels a bit disingenuous.

retired janitor: In the 8 past seasons, as you know, the NBA has had 8 different champions. Of those 8 teams, only two had their best player drafted in the top 6 (LeBron, Tatum). That means 75% of those teams were lead by an alpha that the NBA completely underestimated their future potential. I think Burries has that desire to cross the gap and I can’t wait to see the growth.

Starter, All-Star, or All-NBA, one thing we can all agree on is that the Milwaukee Bucks are lucky to have Burries. And with games around the corner—preseason is just a month away!—we don’t have to wait long to see that potential start to play out. While we do, let’s see just how Burries stacks up against his teammates—our annual Ranking the Roster series returns next week!

Check out FanDuel, the official sportsbook of SB Nation.

Chris Paul was dumped.

The Clippers released the 40-year-old in what was meant to be his final NBA season. Paul didn’t hold back on the gut-wrenching incident.

“What’s interesting about that whole situation is, it’s probably one of the most disrespectful things that I’ve endured,” Paul said on the “Build or Break” podcast.

“I’ve been through a lot of wild stuff in my career, and having older kids and a wife who’s very tapped in, and they know the daily goings on as far as that team and that organization. Obviously I was upset, but my family, my people, everybody…”

“I think just because of the investment we made in the team for as long as we have, and to see the way stuff was handled. What it lets you know is that no matter what you do or what you’ve done, nobody cares.”

Chris Paul says the Clippers’ handling of his exit was one of the most disrespectful things he has endured

“What’s interesting about that whole situation is, it’s probably one of the most disrespectful things that I’ve endured”

“I’ve been through a lot of wild stuff in my… pic.twitter.com/XGuTZ9SlHR

— dank (@cptdankkk) September 4, 2026

He spent parts of six seasons with the Clippers, earning five All-Star selections with the organization. But that wasn’t enough for the Clippers to retain Paul for the entire 2025-26 season.

In December, Paul was notified he was cut in the middle of the night during a road trip in Atlanta. Lawrence Frank, Clippers president of basketball operations, said the team parted ways with Paul because of the dismal 5-16 start and overall underperformance from the team.

But there was reportedly friction within the organization regarding Paul’s vocal leadership style and tension with head coach Tyronn Lue. Paul attempted to host events for the team to bond, such as a Halloween party and a suite at the Rams game, but had little turnout.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cavaliers fans and fans across the country.

We asked, you answered. Fans once again expect the Cleveland Cavaliers to have multiple All-Stars next season.

Nearly 60% of voters predicted that Cleveland will have two All-Stars. Another 21% went above and beyond, voting that three or more Cavaliers will make it to the big game.

The rest of the pie includes 20% of fans who said only one Cavalier will make it — while 2% of fans might need to cheer up a bit. Zero All-Stars would mean disaster.

If the majority of fans are right, then this would be the third time this decade that Cleveland has had more than one player in the All-Star Game. Both Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland made it in 2021, while Donovan Mitchell was joined by Garland and Evan Mobley in the 2025 season.

Mitchell, of course, has made it each season that he’s been in Cleveland.

I assume most fans have Mitchell as a lock to be in the game again. From there, fans are expecting either Mobley, Allen, or James Harden to join him. Though one of the comments suggested Sam Merrill as a dark-horse contender.

I can’t say I agree… but I’d be thrilled if that was the outcome.

Mobley is the most likely candidate to join Mitchell, in my opinion. The former DPOY played at an All-Star level for the second half of last season. All he needs is to stay healthy and confident, as the rest of his game speaks for itself. He’s an elite defender with a budding offensive game that should continue to be an emphasis for Cleveland.

Harden also makes sense as a candidate. He has the reputation of a first-ballot HOFer. That means the barrier for entry is a bit lower, as voters will be more willing to reward him yet again if he’s having another productive season.

This would be Harden’s 12th All-Star appearance if selected next season.

Allen is more of a reach. Though injuries could open the door for him. I’d say the same for Peyton Watson, who would need to make a huge leap in order to be considered for the game.

All this said, multiple All-Stars would bode well for Cleveland’s title chances. FanDuel currently has them eighth in title odds. That would definitely improve if they entered two or more stars next season.

Since we’re in the part of the offseason where there’s not really anything Dallas Mavericks to talk about (I wish I had the juice to cover FIBA, but I do not), I thought I’d poll our commenting fanbase on the origin period of their fandom. And somehow I ended up surprised!

Of the commenters who are regulars at this point in the off season, it seems that nearly 6 in 10 are what I’d consider “Old School” Mavericks fans. The team was founded in 1980 and perhaps lumping in 80’s and 90’s fans into one is too big a swath, I assumed many of the locals here on Mavs Moneyball would be Diurk guys.

That we have so many active commenters that are older is actually something I am heartened to hear. Half of our writers are youths, so if you dear readers stick around to give us some perspective on the long arc of Mavericks history, I appreciate that.

35% of respondants are Dirk-era fans. Another massive swath of people who became MFFLs because of everyone’s favorite German. I fall into this category. It was 2000-2001 where I really got into the team. Catching a team on the rise can be a truly formative experience.

Then we have 3% each for the Luka era and Flagg era. Anyone Luka Doncic adjacent tha stuck around after Nico traded him is a hardcore fan. I don’t blame those for traveling with Luka, what Dallas did to him will never not be insane. Welcome to the newbie Flagg fans, we’re glad you’re here.

I have rarely had a post lately where the results surprise me like this, I really did think the bulk of people would be Dirk fans. We’ll be back to Dallas basketball stuff soon enough though, with more than one story eeking out at a time.

Until then, I recommend taking a peak at our partner in FanDual. This place has Dallas at an absurdly low over-under. Now is the time to get in while the getting is good.

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In a bit of surprising news given the lack of rumors or reports around it, the Sparks have made a big hire.

Following a search led by Farhan Zaidi, special advisor to owner Mark Walter, LA will hire Sixers vice president of player personnel Ariana Andonian as the team’s new general manager, as reported by Sabreena Merchant of The Athletic.

After navigating recent months without a general manager, including the trade deadline, after parting ways with Reagan Pebley midseason, the Sparks will now have a new face set to lead them into another intriguing offseason. This hire also follows the franchise’s recent track record of bringing in executives from outside the league, as Merchant detailed.

This is the third executive hire the Sparks have made out of the NBA in the past year. They hired assistant general managers Zach Knowlton and Nate Nielsen from the Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively, before the 2026 season.

According to Merchant, Andonian has worked in multiple NBA front offices. While she’s been in Philadelphia for the last two seasons, she spent seven years between the Rockets and Grizzlies before that. While with the Sixers, she also served as the general manager of the team’s G League side.

Andonian is not just an LA native, but also grew up a Lakers fan, as she discussed in a profile last October by Gina Mizell of the Inquirer.

It is a notable step for Andonian, who can trace her passion for basketball back to growing up in Los Angeles during the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant era — and in an Armenian family and community that was “super obsessed” with the sport.
“There was a point where it was a little bit more than just a fandom,” Andonian said. “I think people were like, ‘Wow, she really likes to know what’s going on.’”

The whole article is worth a read as it provides plenty of insight into her journey in basketball, from an internship with Daryl Morey and the Rockets, a scouting role with Duke men’s basketball while she was getting her MBA and time with the Grizzlies when they were the young, fun, upstart team in the NBA.

It paints a picture of a very experienced person the Sparks are hiring. While she doesn’t have WNBA experience, she has plenty of experience at multiple levels, which is encouraging for a franchise looking to finally get back to contention.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

The initial court hearing as part of Lakers Governor Jeanie Buss’ petition to stop her siblings from selling the family’s ownership shares of the Lakers has been rescheduled. 

Jeanie Buss’ attorney, Adam Streisand, filed a continuation (postponement) in her petition in Los Angeles Superior Court after the hearing was initially scheduled for Nov. 5.

The continuation request was granted, with the hearing being rescheduled for Dec. 8. 

Streisand, Buss’ lead counsel, requested the continuation because he’s scheduled to be in Europe for two speaking engagements and isn’t returning to Los Angeles until Nov 18.

Buss originally filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court last week looking to block her siblings’ attempted sale of their minority ownership stake of the franchise. 

Five of the Buss siblings who are part of the Buss family trust — Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse Buss — voted to sell the rest of the family’s 17.8% ownership stake of the Lakers to soon-to-be majority owners Josh Kushner and Bob Iger.

Kushner and Iger agreed to purchase the majority shares of the Lakers from Mark Walter for a valuation of $12.5 billion, less than a year after Walter bought the Lakers from the Buss family at a valuation of $10 billion. 

Jeanie Buss called her siblings’ behavior “devious” in the 97-page petition, which was obtained by the California Post. The petition stated Jeanie was “blinded” by the attempted sale and that the family’s statement provided to ESPN was “knowingly false: Jeanie never agreed to any sale, was never consulted, and was never even informed.”

“Jeanie thought she had put all of her siblings’ scheming and manipulations behind her in 2017,” the petition stated. “Sadly, that was not the case — and Jeanie must respectfully request relief from this Court a second time.”

The petition includes five orders:

1. Instructing trustees to comply with 2017 court order; 
2. Declaring purported trustee resolution void;
3. Surcharging and removing co-trustees Joey H. Buss and Janie M. Buss for breach of fiduciary duty;
4. Holding Joey H. Buss and Janie M. Buss in contempt of court; 
5. Holding James, Johnny and Jesse Buss in contempt and liable for aiding and abetting.

Jeanie Buss, the third-oldest child of the late Dr. Jerry Buss, first made it clear she opposed her siblings’ vote to sell the family’s share of the Lakers, according to a letter from Streisand that was obtained by The Post, arguing her siblings can’t legally execute a sale without her approval and that any vote of the Buss family selling would be “void.”

To remain the Lakers governor, Jeanie or the Buss family would need to maintain control of at least 15% of the franchise, per NBA rules.

Jeanie has been team’s governor since 2013 after Jerry’s death.

When Walter purchased the majority ownership of the Lakers from the Buss family, the league announced that Buss would remain the team’s governor for at least five years (through 2030).

Iger told The Post he and Kushner intended to honor the agreement made between Walter and Buss. 

Streisand’s original letter to lawyers for the other siblings demanded that they retract the announcement of the proposed sale, insisting that rules of the family trust and a 2017 court ruling make clear that Jeanie Buss will remain a controlling owner of the team.

Jeanie Buss argued her attempting to stop her siblings’ sale of the Lakers, which would prevent her from continuing as the franchise’s governor, is not only a way to “enforce her parents’ intent” but also “protect the strategic decision by the trustees less than a year ago to sell a portion of the team and retain an interest sufficient to maintain control and to benefit from the continuously skyrocketing value.”

The petition also states that other minority owners support Jeanie Buss staying as governor.

The Los Angeles Sparks are hiring Philadelphia 76ers vice president of player personnel Ariana Andonian as their new general manager, the team announced Friday.

Andonian is replacing Raegan Pebley, whom L.A. parted ways with in July following 2 1/2 years with the organization.

The Sparks significantly built out their front office during the past offseason after failing to invest in the team’s basketball operations for several years. Many of those hires came from the NBA, and Los Angeles still lacks personnel with a significant background in women’s basketball.

The search for Pebley’s replacement was conducted by Farhan Zaidi, special advisor to Sparks owner Mark Walter. This is the third executive hire the Sparks have made out of the NBA in the past year.

They hired assistant general managers Zach Knowlton and Nate Nielsen from the Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively, before the 2026 season. Andonian has been with the 76ers for two seasons after seven years with the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies. She also consulted with Duke’s basketball program while getting her MBA.

Andonian is tasked with revitalizing one of the WNBA’s legacy franchises, which has fallen out of relevance of late. The Sparks will miss the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, but win-now trades have left them with only two first-round picks from that stretch on their roster: Cameron Brink and Rae Burrell.

Andonian will be the public face of an organization that has been mostly quiet since Pebley’s departure, besides the seismic move to deal Kelsey Plum at the trade deadline.

Andonian will also get to decide the future of coach Lynne Roberts, who is 36-48 in her two seasons in Los Angeles. Roberts has an uneven track record developing the Sparks’ young players; while Burrell has taken significant steps forward, Brink has been relegated to a bench role and hasn’t made the same impact as other members of the highly touted 2024 draft class.

The franchise is on track to open a new practice facility in 2027, finally giving the team a home after years of being displaced across the expanse of Los Angeles County.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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