Before he passed away and divided the Los Angeles Lakers‘ shares to his children, Jerry Buss distributed them in equal amounts to avoid any complications and possible infighting between them.
According to a piece made by ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, a minority ownership stake was supposed to be offered to recently retired Laker great Kobe Bryant by his son, Jim, also as a gesture to show how grateful the Buss family is to him for staying and helping bring five championships to the storied franchise.
“Was this just another quick cash grab? Or an ill-conceived gesture, like the time last season when Jim tried to offer Kobe Bryant shares in the franchise as a show of appreciation — similar to what his father had once done for Johnson — without researching or understanding that the trust doesn't allow that kind of a transfer? Or were the brothers trying to seize power and control of the franchise?”
Earlier this month, Jeanie Buss was awarded with lifetime control of the Lakers after what his father feared to happen, occurred when his brothers tried to oust her of her position in the organization.
With Magic Johnson now part of the team once again as their president of basketball operations, he wanted The Black Mamba to help the team in any way he could. Although Bryant does not hold any official role with the Lakers for now, he also said that he is willing to lend a hand to the only team he played for in his 20 seasons in the NBA. That being said, it will be interesting to see how he'll fulfill his promise, as that seems to be a highly likely prospect in the near future. It could have been a different story for the franchise if Bryant became one of their owners, but since it didn't happen, they are only left to wonder what could've been for the the team.
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