Jeanie Buss is 64 years old. Honestly, age seems like a trivial number when you look at the sheer amount of weight she carries as the most powerful woman in professional basketball. Born on September 26, 1961, she’s spent nearly her entire life under the bright lights of Los Angeles, transition from the "daughter of Dr. Jerry Buss" to the iron-willed Governor of the Lakers.
She's lived a lot of life.
It’s easy to look at a Wikipedia entry and see "64," but it's another thing to understand the mileage of running a billion-dollar franchise. While most people are eyeing retirement at her age, Jeanie is currently navigating one of the most transformative periods in Lakers history. If you've been following the news lately, you know things in Laker-land just got a lot more complicated—and a lot more expensive.
The Age of Jeanie Buss and Her Path to Power
Growing up as a Buss meant you didn't really have a "normal" childhood. While other kids were at the mall, Jeanie was at World Team Tennis meetings. She was just 19 when her father, the legendary Dr. Jerry Buss, handed her the keys to the Los Angeles Strings. Most teenagers can barely manage a part-time job at a juice bar. She was managing professional athletes and balance sheets.
That early start is why people often think she’s older than she actually is. She has been a fixture in the NBA landscape for over four decades. You’ve seen her through the Showtime era, the Shaq and Kobe three-peat, the Phil Jackson years (who she famously dated for 17 years), and now the LeBron James and Luka Doncic era.
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Wait—Luka? Yeah, if you missed the headlines, Jeanie pulled off a blockbuster move to acquire Luka Doncic in early 2025. It’s the kind of high-stakes gambling her father would have loved. At 64, she isn't playing it safe. She’s doubling down on the "win-now" philosophy that defines the purple and gold.
A Timeline of the Buss Legacy
- 1961: Born in Santa Monica, California.
- 1979: Dr. Jerry Buss buys the Lakers; Jeanie begins her apprenticeship.
- 1990: Marries volleyball star Steve Timmons (divorced 1993).
- 1999: Begins a high-profile relationship with coach Phil Jackson.
- 2013: Takes the reins after her father's passing.
- 2017: Fires her own brother, Jim Buss, to consolidate control.
- 2023: Marries comedian Jay Mohr in an intimate Malibu ceremony.
- 2025: Agrees to a massive $10 billion sale/valuation deal with Mark Walter.
Why Everyone Is Talking About Her Now
If you're searching for "how old is Jeanie Buss," you're probably seeing her name pop up because of the staggering $10 billion valuation of the Lakers. In June 2025, the Buss family reportedly agreed to sell a majority stake to Mark Walter, the heavy hitter behind the Dodgers.
It’s the biggest sale in the history of American sports.
Some critics called it the end of an era. Others see it as Jeanie’s most brilliant business move yet. By securing a partner with Walter’s deep pockets, she’s ensuring the Lakers can actually afford the astronomical luxury tax bills that come with roster-building in 2026. She stayed on as Governor, by the way. She’s still the boss, just with a much bigger war chest.
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Marriage, Separated Living, and Jay Mohr
Jeanie’s personal life has always been tabloid fodder, mostly because she’s so open about it. Her marriage to Jay Mohr in September 2023 caught a lot of people off guard, but they’ve been together since roughly 2017.
Interestingly, she recently went public about their living situation. They often sleep on separate floors of their home. "Happiness, love, joy," she wrote about him. It’s a very modern, very "Jeanie" way of doing things—breaking the mold of what a traditional marriage "should" look like, just as she broke the mold of what an NBA owner should look like.
She’s also still heavily involved in WOW – Women of Wrestling. It’s her passion project. While the Lakers are her "day job," she’s spent years promoting women’s wrestling, proving her interests aren't just confined to the hardwood.
What Most People Get Wrong About Jeanie
People love to throw the word "nepotism" around. It's a lazy take. Yes, she inherited the opportunity, but she had to fight a literal civil war within her own family to keep it. In 2017, she had to legally outmaneuver her brothers, Jim and Johnny, who tried to oust her from the board.
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She fired her brother. Think about how awkward Thanksgiving is after you fire your sibling from the family business.
She did it because the team was floundering. She chose the fans and the legacy over family harmony. That’s not just "being the daughter of the owner"—that’s being a calculated, sometimes cold-blooded executive.
Jeanie's Real-World Impact
- Financial Growth: Took a team bought for $67.5 million and turned it into a $10 billion asset.
- Diversity: Remains one of the few women at the top of the NBA's "old boys' club."
- Resilience: Navigated the tragic loss of Kobe Bryant and the subsequent 2020 championship in the "Bubble."
Actionable Insights for Lakers Fans
If you're following Jeanie's career or just curious about the future of the Lakers, here is what you need to keep an eye on:
- The Mark Walter Partnership: Watch how the team’s spending changes. With Walter’s resources, the Lakers are no longer a "mom and pop" shop. They are now a corporate titan capable of outspending almost anyone.
- The Roster Transition: As Jeanie approaches 65, she’s likely looking at the post-LeBron era. The Doncic acquisition was the first step.
- Succession Planning: While Jeanie shows no signs of slowing down, the next five years will likely reveal who she trusts to carry the torch—whether it’s a younger family member or a hand-picked protégé like Rob Pelinka.
Jeanie Buss has spent 64 years becoming exactly who she needs to be to protect her father's "baby." Whether you love her moves or hate them, you can't deny that she’s the most influential woman in the history of the sport. The $10 billion price tag on the Lakers isn't just a number; it's a testament to the work she's put in since she was that 19-year-old kid in the tennis meetings.