Buss Sports Capital, the investment group founded by brothers Joey and Jesse Buss in the wake of their family’s sale of the Los Angeles Lakers to Mark Walter last year, has reached a deal to acquire approximately 5 percent of the San Diego Padres, sources familiar with the deal told The Athletic. The sources spoke under condition of anonymity because the transaction has not yet been publicly announced.Kwanza Jones and José Feliciano acquired controlling shares of the MLB franchise on Aug. 17 as part of the $3.9 billion purchase. Joey and Jesse Buss will join the Padres’ ownership advisory board as part of their investment, putting them in direct competition with Walter, who also owns the Los Angeles Dodgers.“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,” Joey Buss said in a statement obtained by The Athletic. “Sports have always been a part of our family’s story, and great organizations have a unique ability to bring people together and create a lasting sense of community. Padres fans have built one of the most passionate and loyal communities in all of sports, and we believe there is a tremendous opportunity to deepen that connection in San Diego and around the world.“The Padres are on the cusp of something special, and through Buss Sports Capital, we look forward to bringing our experience and perspective to the ownership group and doing our part to build on the strong foundation already in place.”The investment is the latest move into sports ownership for Joey and Jesse Buss following the end of their family’s decades-long run controlling the Lakers. The Buss family sold its controlling stake in the team to Walter last year. Last week, Joey and Jesse Buss voted with three of their siblings — Janie, Johnny and Jim — to sell the family’s remaining stake in the Lakers, tagging along on Walter’s sale of the franchise this month to a group led by Joshua Kushner and Bob Iger at a record $12.5 billion valuation.Everything we know about the Lakers being sold againDan WoikeJeanie Buss, who serves as governor of the Lakers, argued via an attorney that her siblings can’t sell. Her attorney referenced a 2017 court order requiring her co-trustees to “take all action reasonably available to them” to ensure Jeanie remained the controlling owner of the Lakers. The sources say the Buss brothers and the other siblings who voted to sell believe they have the authority to do so.Joey and Jesse Buss, through Buss Sports Capital, also are among the groups that have expressed interest in NBA Europe ownership. Both brothers spent years working in basketball operations for the Lakers. Joey served as the Lakers’ alternate governor and vice president of research and development, while Jesse was the assistant general manager and director of scouting. Both were fired by the organization in November 2025.The investment in the Padres allows them to apply that basketball experience to another professional sport. While minority investors will not be constructing the Padres’ roster, the brothers are expected to contribute strategic advice on team building. That experience includes operating within the NBA’s salary-cap system and making long-term decisions about allocating resources toward players and player development.The brothers grew up in San Diego.“Joey and I had the privilege of learning from our father and then spending nearly two decades building our own careers in professional basketball operations,” Jesse Buss said. “We saw firsthand what it takes to build a championship organization, and throughout our careers have applied those lessons across talent evaluation, roster construction, player development and long-term organizational planning. While every sport is different, we believe the principles behind building sustained success are universal. Through Buss Sports Capital, we look forward to bringing that experience to the ownership group, supporting Kwanza and José’s vision for the Padres and doing everything we can to help bring a World Series championship to San Diego.”