Jesse Buss
American sports executive
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Jesse Buss (born 1987 or 1988[1]) is an American sports executive. From 2006 to 2025, he worked for the Los Angeles Lakers. He was known as the team's “draft guru.”[2][3]
Career
Lakers
Buss began working for the Lakers in 2006, as a basketball operations assistant.[4] In 2008, he became a scout;[5] in 2011, scouting coordinator;[5] in 2013, scouting director;[4] and in 2015, an assistant general manager.[6]
For the next decade, together with his brother Joey, Buss played a key role in the Lakers’ scouting and player-development operation. They helped to find and cultivate key role players such as Max Christie,[2] Jordan Clarkson,[7] Josh Hart,[8] Austin Reaves,[2] Julius Randle,[4] and Ivica Zubac.[9]
Buss was involved in the NBA draft year-round,[7] playing a leading role in the Lakers’ draft strategy.[10][2] According to Fox Sports, Jesse and Joey “have been praised for their roles in the Lakers’ successful drafts and free-agent signings.”[11]
When Jerry Buss died in 2013, ownership of the Lakers transitioned to a trust controlled by his children.[12][13] (Jesse is Jerry's youngest child[14] and was born in the 1980s to Jerry's girlfriend Karen Demel.)[15]
In June 2025, Mark Walter, the chairman of the Los Angeles Dodgers, agreed to buy the controlling interest of the Lakers from the Buss family, at a $10 billion valuation.[16] At the time, this valuation was the highest for a professional sports franchise.[17] The NBA's board of governors approved the sale in October 2025.[18]
In November 2025, as part of overhauling the scouting staff,[19][3] the Lakers fired Buss, along with his brother Joey, the team's alternate governor, vice president of research and development, and president of the team's G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers.[20] Both Buss brothers retained their minority ownership shares.[19]
Buss Sports Capital
In September 2025, Joey and Jesse created Buss Sports Capital, an investment company specializing in sports.[21][22]
Left Coast Legends
Buss is the program director for a youth basketball program, the Left Coast Legends, which is part of the Amateur Athletic Union.[23] In 2025, Buss donated a basketball court to the Bel Air Presbyterian School, where the Legends practice.[24]
Personal life
In 2023, Buss married Sarah Jordan, at their home in Los Angeles. They have two sons.[25]
As of November 2025, Buss has been dealing with an unspecified illness for several years, for which he receives immunotherapy treatments.[2]