The youngest sons of the late Dr. Jerry Buss could soon be branching out into sports ownership of their own.
According to a report from The Athletic, Joey and Jesse Buss are pursuing ownership of a team in NBA Europe through Buss Sports Capital, their business venture launched a year ago after they were both fired from their positions in the Los Angeles Lakers front office following the $10 billion purchase of the team by Mark Walter.
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Per the report, the group has submitted multiple ownership bids in Manchester, England, and Lyon, France, while also keeping open the possibility of joining Luka Doncic and former Dallas Mavericks GM Donnie Nelson’s bid for a team in Rome, Italy.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) reacts after scoring a basket during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Dec 28, 2021.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) reacts after scoring a basket during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Dec 28, 2021.
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LeBron James answers a question during an interview session with reporters during the Los Angeles Lakers media day at the UCLA Health Training Center on Sept. 24, 2018 during his first season with the team.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James goes up for a dunk in the second half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Staples Center on Oct. 27, 2019.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James celebrates after a dunk by guard Danny Green during the second quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center on Nov. 17, 2019.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James takes center court to speak to fans before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center on Jan. 31, 2020.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James gestures to a referee after a foul call during the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center on Feb. 21, 2020
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LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers in a Black Lives Matter Shirt kneel with their teammates during the national anthem prior to the game against the LA Clippers at The Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on July 30, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. on July 30, 2020.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) holds up four fingers after winning his fourth NBA championship after game six of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena on Oct. 11, 2020.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James reacts after receiving 2020 NBA Championship ring before a game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on Dec. 22, 2020.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James lands on fans sitting court side as he dives after a ball in the second half against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com Arena on Jan. 24, 2023
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Former Los Angeles Lakers player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hands the game ball to forward LeBron James (6) after James becomes the NBA all time scoring leader against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 7, 2023.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) with forward Anthony Davis (3) during a stoppage in play against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half at Crypto.com Arena on April 11, 2023.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dunks the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center on Nov. 27, 2023.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James shoots the ball against New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) in the NBA In Season Tournament Semifinal at T-Mobile Arena on Dec. 7, 2023.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) warms up on the court prior to he start of the game against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on Jan. 30, 2024.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James prepares for the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Mar. 31, 2024.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) scores a basket against the Miami Heat as center Jaxson Hayes (11) reacts during the second half at Crypto.com Arena on Jan. 15, 2025.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James dribbles the ball against the Dallas Mavericks during the first quarter at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 25, 2025.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots past Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) and Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) during the second half at American Airlines Center on April 9, 2025.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the basket against the Orlando Magic in the first quarter at Kia Center on Mar. 21, 2026.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts after dunking the ball against the Orlando Magic in the first quarter at Kia Center on Mar. 21, 2026.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) drives to the basket as Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) defends during the first half at American Airlines Center on April 5, 2026.
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Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) shoots the ball against Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) and guard Amen Thompson (1) in the second half during game one of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena on April 18, 2026.
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NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced plans for the NBA’s European league in 2025 and reportedly hopes to begin play in 2027 with London, Manchester, Rome, Milan, Paris, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, Munich, Athens and Istanbul identified as potential cities for licensed teams. In addition to 12 permanent cities, the league also would have four annual qualifiers to put the number of teams competing in the league at 16.
Some markets have reportedly received bids of more than $1 billion.
“We’ve had tremendous interest from multiple cities in Europe, including cities that we didn’t even ask for bids from,” Silver told reporters on July 14 at the Board of Governors meetings in Las Vegas. “We discussed with our board that we’re in the process of finalizing those bids for an initial group of cities. Many of the people who are involved in those bids, the European bidders, are actually going to be in New York for the World Cup final on Sunday.
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“Given their presence in New York, I would say we’re hoping to wrap up some of those deals over the next several weeks, and then announcements will be forthcoming.”
The Buss brothers also are reportedly considering a minority stake in the San Diego Padres under their new owners, José Feliciano and Kwanza Jones.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joey, Jesse Buss looking into NBA Europe ownership, per report
