In business, brand is everything. Corporate pivots have failed not because new product lines were subpar, but because the new product didn’t align with consumers perception of the brand. While in the context of traditional business this may be true, I believe this to not be true when regarding sports organizations. The two largest brands in the NBA, the Knicks, and the Lakers, are two of the worst performing teams over the last 5 years. If brand were everything, this wouldn’t be the case as players would flock to join elite brands. In today’s multi-media market stars like Russell Westbrook are able to out-earn players in larger markets based on their personal brand. The next Thunder star likely won’t get close to Russell Westbrooks earnings, but the next Russell Westbrook-level star, regardless of location, is sure to out-earn him.

This past summer we saw the biggest star in the NBA, LeBron James, go to the biggest brand/team, the Lakers, and since then have watched the situation completely dissolve. When you have such powerful entities in both business and on the court talent, it seems extra special when you mess that up. I don’t know if the issue is with ownership, management, or external parties competing for influence. Only insiders can tell us that and many times they will just tell you what fits their agenda. However, one thing I think we can assess externally is that unaligned family businesses have greater fallouts than unaligned corporations.

I want to be clear at the outset, I LOVE that a family effectively owns an NBA team, and honestly wish there were more. What I don’t love is how Game of Thrones it had gotten with Jeannie taking everyone to court and going Mad Queen on em’. Now with the subpar performance of the team these last 5 years, it’s not unimaginable that certain members of the Buss family smell an opportunity to wrestle public opinion in their favor to lead the team. Fighting with your family can be the most annoying thing in the world. Imagine those political conversations with your family at Thanksgiving or Christmas, except now there is a basketball team/roster and a multi-billion-dollar organization in the balance. That shits intense!

This infighting will almost certainly have an immense impact going into the draft and free agency. As the different departments led by Buss children will be at loggerheads vying for power in the process. What’s worse, is that seemingly the one who would be able to curtail some of these schemes, Rob Pelinka, appears to be an effective schemer in his own right and may choose to play the game rather than rise above it.

While unfortunate, I think the Lakers situation should be a learning opportunity for smaller market teams. Stars are no longer clamoring to sign with specific teams, but rather looking for culture and personnel fits. Teams that are able to effectively communicate these things, and demonstrate how they empower players personal brands will have a better chance of recruiting the highest tier players. Players in lower rungs may be drawn to brands that can help them to land deal but the creme de la creme have no such issue.

In closing, being the largest brand in the NBA is no longer the advantage it used to be. For the Lakers to attempt to leverage a past that doesn't fit in today's current context will only remain detrimental to their pursuit of a championship. Once the Lakers are able to move past the "We're the Lakers" motif they live by now, they will once again be a force to reckon with.