Joey and Jesse Buss Padres Stake: 5% Deal Revealed

The Joey and Jesse Buss Padres deal marks a dramatic new chapter for two members of one of American sports’ best-known ownership families. The brothers have joined the San Diego Padres’ new ownership group through their investment firm, Buss Sports Capital, reportedly acquiring approximately a 5% stake in the Major League Baseball club.

The move comes at a particularly complicated moment for the Buss family.

While Joey and Jesse Buss are establishing themselves as minority owners in San Diego, their family’s remaining ownership interest in the Los Angeles Lakers remains at the center of an ongoing dispute involving their sister, Jeanie Buss.

Five of the six Buss siblings have reportedly voted to sell the family’s remaining 17.8% Lakers stake to the group led by Josh Kushner and Bob Iger. Jeanie Buss, however, has challenged that move through her attorney, creating uncertainty over the family’s final connection to the franchise their father, Jerry Buss, purchased in 1979.

For Joey and Jesse, meanwhile, the Padres represent something more than a financial investment.

The brothers grew up in San Diego County and have described the Padres as a team they have loved since childhood. Their new role also gives them an opportunity to apply nearly two decades of experience in professional basketball operations to another major American sports franchise.

Joey and Jesse Buss Padres Deal Reportedly Covers 5%

Buss Sports Capital, the investment company established by Joey and Jesse Buss, has reached a deal to acquire roughly 5% of the Padres, according to reporting cited by FOX Business and other outlets.

The exact financial terms of the transaction have not been publicly disclosed.

The investment places the brothers inside an ownership group led by private-equity billionaire José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones. The new group completed its purchase of the Padres at a reported $3.9 billion valuation, an MLB-record figure.

A 5% interest at that valuation would imply a stake worth roughly $195 million based on the headline franchise valuation, although that figure should not be interpreted as the actual purchase price because ownership deals can include different structures, financing arrangements and valuations for individual interests.

The deal nevertheless represents a significant move for Buss Sports Capital.

It is the investment group’s first major sports franchise acquisition since the Buss family began moving away from controlling ownership of the Lakers.

Why the Padres Matter to the Buss Brothers

The Joey and Jesse Buss Padres investment has a clear personal dimension.

Joey and Jesse grew up in San Diego County and have maintained a connection to the Padres since childhood. Joey said the brothers were honored to join the new ownership group and emphasized their desire to help build on what the franchise has already established.

That connection distinguishes the Padres investment from a purely financial transaction.

The brothers also believe their professional experience can translate into baseball ownership.

Jesse Buss spent years working in Lakers basketball operations, while Joey held a role involving research and development. Their careers gave them experience in talent evaluation, player development, roster construction and organizational planning.

Those skills are not identical to running a baseball organization. However, the brothers argue that the principles behind building a championship team can carry across sports.

Jesse specifically pointed to their experience in evaluating talent and constructing organizations designed for sustained success.

That could become particularly relevant as the Padres attempt to build a long-term contender.

Padres Ownership Changes at a Record Valuation

The timing of the Joey and Jesse Buss Padres agreement is also significant because the franchise itself has just undergone a major ownership transition.

José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones led the purchase of the Padres at approximately $3.9 billion. MLB owners approved the transaction on Aug. 17, according to reports.

The new ownership structure arrives with ambitious expectations.

Feliciano and Jones have talked about building a team capable of competing for a World Series championship. The Padres have developed into one of the most prominent franchises in the National League West, but the organization continues to chase its first World Series title.

Adding the Buss brothers brings another layer of professional sports experience to the ownership group.

It also creates an unusual connection between two of Southern California’s biggest baseball franchises.

The Padres’ ownership group now includes members of the Buss family, while the Los Angeles Dodgers remain owned by Mark Walter.

Walter previously purchased the Lakers’ controlling interest from the Buss family before selling the NBA franchise again this year.

That means the business paths of the Lakers, Dodgers and Padres are now intertwined in an increasingly complicated Southern California sports landscape.

Lakers Ownership Drama Continues

The new Joey and Jesse Buss Padres investment comes as the Buss family’s Lakers story remains unresolved.

The Buss family sold its controlling interest in the Lakers to Mark Walter last year. Walter subsequently agreed to sell the franchise to a group led by Josh Kushner and Bob Iger in a deal valuing the Lakers at $12.5 billion.

The Buss family still held a 17.8% minority interest.

Five of Jerry Buss’ six children — Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey and Jesse — reportedly agreed to sell that remaining stake to the new Lakers ownership group.

Jeanie Buss opposed the move.

Her position is particularly important because she has served as the Lakers’ governor and has sought to maintain her connection to the franchise following the sale of the family’s controlling interest.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Jeanie’s attorney argued that the proposed sale should not proceed without approval from all six siblings.

The dispute means the Buss family’s final Lakers ownership position remains complicated even as Joey and Jesse establish a new foothold in Major League Baseball.

Joey and Jesse Buss Are Moving Beyond the Lakers

The Padres investment suggests that Joey and Jesse Buss are not walking away from professional sports.

Instead, they appear to be building a new business identity outside the Lakers organization.

That distinction matters.

For decades, the Buss name was almost synonymous with the Lakers. Jerry Buss purchased the franchise in 1979, and his family remained deeply involved in its operation after his death in 2013.

All six of Jerry Buss’ children eventually held positions within the Lakers organization. Joey and Jesse were the youngest members of the family to work directly in basketball operations.

Their roles ended after the family sold its controlling interest.

The brothers were dismissed from their Lakers positions in November, according to the Los Angeles Times. Jesse had been an assistant general manager, while Joey served as vice president of research and development.

Rather than leaving professional sports altogether, they formed Buss Sports Capital.

The Padres now provide their first major opportunity to use that company as an ownership platform.

Buss Sports Capital Could Become a Larger Sports Investment Vehicle

The Joey and Jesse Buss Padres deal could also be the beginning of a broader strategy.

Reports indicate that the brothers are interested in additional sports ownership opportunities, including a potential investment connected to the NBA’s proposed European league.

That would represent a major shift from the family’s traditional model.

Jerry Buss built his legacy around one franchise. His children inherited an ownership structure centered primarily on the Lakers.

Joey and Jesse appear to be taking a different approach.

Instead of attempting to recreate the Lakers experience, they are building a diversified sports investment business.

The strategy could eventually involve minority stakes in multiple teams or leagues.

Such a model is increasingly common among wealthy investors and sports-focused investment groups. Franchise values have surged across professional sports, making minority ownership stakes attractive to investors seeking exposure to the long-term growth of sports media, sponsorships, ticketing and other commercial opportunities.

For the Buss brothers, however, the Padres investment has an additional advantage: it keeps them directly involved in team-building and professional sports operations.

Their Lakers Experience Could Benefit the Padres

The brothers’ background with the Lakers could be valuable to the Padres in several areas.

Talent evaluation is one example.

Basketball and baseball use fundamentally different scouting systems, but identifying talent and developing an organizational culture around it remains important in both sports.

Roster construction is another area where experience can transfer.

The Padres operate under baseball’s own financial and competitive rules, but ownership groups still need executives capable of balancing short-term competitiveness with long-term planning.

Jesse Buss has spent years working around those decisions in the NBA.

Joey Buss also brings experience in research and development, potentially giving the ownership group another perspective on technology, analytics and organizational processes.

Neither brother is expected to run the Padres’ baseball operations directly.

Their value will instead come through their role as owners and advisers.

A New Chapter After the Lakers

The symbolism surrounding the deal is hard to miss.

The Buss family spent 47 years connected to the Lakers, turning a relatively modest investment by Jerry Buss into one of the world’s most valuable sports franchises.

Now, Joey and Jesse are investing in another Southern California team while their family relationship with the Lakers is being contested.

The contrast is striking.

On one side, the family legacy is facing its most significant ownership dispute since Jerry Buss’ death.

On the other, two of his youngest children are beginning a new sports business venture.

The Padres therefore offer Joey and Jesse an opportunity to create a legacy that is separate from the Lakers.

Their goal is not simply to own part of another team.

They have indicated that they want to contribute to the Padres’ pursuit of a championship.

That could make their role more visible than that of a passive minority investor.

What the Padres Investment Means for the Buss Family

The Joey and Jesse Buss Padres investment does not directly resolve the Lakers ownership dispute.

However, it shows that the brothers are already moving forward with their own sports business plans.

The family still faces a potentially important question over its remaining Lakers shares.

Jeanie Buss has challenged the proposed sale of the family’s 17.8% interest, while her five siblings have maintained their position that they intend to proceed with the transaction.

The outcome could determine whether any Buss family member continues to hold a meaningful ownership position in the Lakers.

For Joey and Jesse, their future may increasingly be tied to the Padres instead.

Their new minority stake gives them a seat at the table in a franchise with ambitious ownership plans and a clear championship objective.

It also places the Buss name back into the ownership conversation at a time when professional sports franchises are becoming increasingly valuable investment assets.

The Bigger Picture for Sports Ownership

The Padres deal reflects a broader transformation in professional sports.

Ownership is no longer limited to a single wealthy individual or a family that controls an entire franchise.

Modern ownership groups can include private-equity investors, entrepreneurs, celebrities, institutional investors and sports executives.

Minority stakes allow investors to participate in franchise growth without purchasing controlling interests.

For Joey and Jesse Buss, that model could be especially attractive.

They can use the knowledge accumulated through their Lakers careers while building a portfolio that is independent of their family’s historic NBA franchise.

The Padres are simply the first major step.

Meanwhile, the Lakers are entering a new era under the proposed ownership group led by Bob Iger and Josh Kushner, while the Buss family’s final stake remains subject to dispute.

That creates an unusual situation in which two members of the Buss family are simultaneously moving deeper into baseball ownership while their old NBA ownership story is still being negotiated.

Joey and Jesse Buss Padres Deal Marks a Major Turning Point

The Joey and Jesse Buss Padres agreement represents much more than a headline about two former Lakers executives buying into an MLB team.

It marks the beginning of a new chapter for the youngest sons of Jerry Buss.

The brothers have reportedly acquired approximately 5% of the Padres through Buss Sports Capital, joining an ownership group led by José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones at a record $3.9 billion franchise valuation.

Their investment also comes at a pivotal moment for their family.

The Buss family’s remaining Lakers stake is caught in a dispute between five siblings and Jeanie Buss. At the same time, Joey and Jesse are creating their own path in professional sports ownership.

For Padres fans, the most important question will be whether the brothers’ basketball experience can help the franchise achieve its ultimate goal: winning its first World Series.

For the Buss family, the deal may represent something even bigger.

It could be the first step toward a future in which Joey and Jesse Buss are known not primarily as members of the Lakers’ founding ownership family, but as sports investors and franchise builders in their own right.

Suggested Internal Links

• Lakers ownership → Link to your existing article about the Lakers sale.
• Jeanie Buss → Link to your Lakers/Jeanie Buss coverage.
• San Diego Padres → Link to your MLB or Padres category page.
• Bob Iger and Josh Kushner → Link to your article about the new Lakers ownership group.
• Sports franchise ownership → Link to an existing article covering major sports-team sales.