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Longtime Los Angeles Lakers executives Joey and Jesse Buss are venturing into Major League Baseball by joining the San Diego Padres' ownership group. The brothers, under their Buss Sports Capital banner, announced their involvement on Wednesday (August 26). They aim to leverage their experience in player development, roster construction, and salary management to assist new majority owners Jose Feliciano and Kwanza Jones.
The Buss brothers will serve on the advisory board of the Padres' ownership group. According to ESPN, they plan to bring their expertise from professional basketball operations to support the Padres' future. Joey Buss expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "We are honored to join Kwanza and José and have the opportunity to contribute to the future of a team that Jesse and I have loved since we were kids growing up in San Diego."
Feliciano and Jones, who purchased the Padres at a record $3.9 billion valuation, received unanimous approval from Major League Baseball's team owners. The couple aims to build on the Padres' strong foundation and bring a World Series championship to San Diego, as reported by ABC News.
The Buss brothers' involvement with the Padres marks Buss Sports Capital's first major business move since its launch. They continue to explore ownership opportunities in the upcoming NBA Europe league, according to Yahoo Sports.