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Shaquille O’Neal offered his congratulations to the Buss family amid the reported sale of their remaining stake in the Los Angeles Lakers, calling the franchise’s rise in value a “monumental business move.”

“I have great admiration for the Buss family,” O’Neal said. “Learned a lot of business acumen from watching them. And I can remember how much Mr. Buss paid for the team. So if the rumors are true on how much they sold it for, I think it was a monumental business move.”

The reported transaction has also triggered a legal dispute within the Buss family. Shams Charania reported that five of the six Buss siblings supported selling the family’s remaining 17.8% stake, with Jeanie Buss the lone dissenting vote.

The deal would value the Lakers at $12.5 billion, with Bob Iger and Josh Kushner set to consolidate roughly 83% ownership once the transaction is completed.

Jeanie Buss, however, is contesting the validity of the vote through her attorney, Adam Streisand. Her side argues that the family trust structure and her status as the Lakers’ controlling owner prevent the other siblings from independently forcing the sale of the family’s shares.

For O’Neal, who won three consecutive NBA championships with the Lakers from 2000 through 2002, the potential end of the Buss family’s ownership role carries personal significance.

“It will be different not knowing that the Buss family is there with the Lakers, but I want to wish them well, want to congratulate them,” O’Neal said. “Thank you for the great memories that they gave me.”

Jerry Buss purchased the Lakers in 1979 for $67.5 million as part of a transaction that also included the Los Angeles Kings and the Forum. Under the Buss family, the Lakers became one of the NBA’s defining franchises, winning 11 championships, including the three O’Neal won alongside Kobe Bryant.

O’Neal focused particularly on the financial side of the reported sale and the scale of the franchise’s appreciation.

“But from a business standpoint, for what they purchased it for to what they’re selling it for,” O’Neal said, “you get the golf clap.”

The ownership dispute comes during another period of transition for the Lakers. Los Angeles finished the 2025-26 regular season 53-29 and fourth in the Western Conference before Oklahoma City swept the team in the second round.

Luka Doncic averaged 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds last season, while Austin Reaves posted 23.3 points per game before signing a four-year, $184.8 million extension. LeBron James averaged 20.9 points in his final season with the franchise before leaving in free agency.

The Lakers have since reshaped their roster around Doncic and acquired Walker Kessler, while the ownership battle determines whether the Buss family’s decades-long connection to the franchise is approaching its conclusion.