Jeanie Buss isn't losing the Los Angeles Lakers without a fight.
The Lakers governor is contesting the reported sale of her family's remaining 17.8% ownership stake in the iconic NBA franchise to new majority owners Josh Kushner and Bob Iger.
Jeanie's lawyer, Adam Streisand, slammed the report and said his client hasn't agreed to sell the team, adding that any vote suggesting otherwise "would be and is void," according to a letter obtained by CNBC's Alex Sherman. The letter is addressed to the law firms representing Jeanie's siblings.
"This afternoon, Shams Charania of ESPN falsely reported that the six Buss siblings voted to sell the 17.8% ownership stake in the Lakers to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger and that my client, Jeanie Buss, is 'out' as controlling owner," Streisand wrote.
He continued: "This is just the latest instance of a yearslong 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' chosen successor, Jeanie Buss, carries out her father's wishes."
Charania reported Monday that the Buss family trust - comprised of siblings Jeanie, Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey, and Jesse - reportedly received the majority of votes needed to allow the trustees to sell their shares to Kushner and Iger.
However, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne later reported that Jeanie was the lone member of the Buss family who did not vote to sell. If the transaction is completed, she would no longer have the 15% ownership stake required to serve as team governor.
Streisand also demanded that Jeanie's siblings "publicly" state that she remains the controlling owner of the Lakers, according to Sherman.
In response to Streisand, the remaining Buss siblings confirmed in a statement Tuesday that they decided to sell the family's shares in the Lakers, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. They described the team as "one of the greatest privileges of our lives."
The siblings added: "We have tremendous respect for Bob Iger and Josh Kushner and believe they understand what the Lakers represent to Los Angeles and our incredibly loyal fan base. We are confident they will honor everything this franchise stands for while building upon the foundation our father created."
Kushner and Iger bought Mark Walter's majority stake in the Lakers for a reported $12.5 billion last Wednesday.
