After Controversial Firings, Lakers Get Best Possible Injury News

The firings of Jesse and Joey Buss from the Los Angeles Lakers are the leading storyline for the league’s most premier franchise. While the forced departure of the brothers of

Jeanie Buss, the acting governor, and sons of former owner Dr. Jerry Buss, could be a cause for concern, the latest news out of the Lakers points to another positive aspect of their strong start to the season.

Most recently, for the first time this year, the Lakers have no players listed on their official injury report. Nobody is hurt, nobody is set to miss time with an injury, and now, a fully healthy roster for head coach

JJ Redick, a month into the 2025-26 NBA season.

One of the big reasons why the Lakers have stayed competitive with all these injuries

Previously, LeBron James was the most notable Laker sidelined.

Through the team’s first 15 games, Adou Thiero, Gabe Vincent, and a couple of other players bouncing back and forth were featured on the injured list, but now

, they are fully healthy.

The news of the Lakers’ lack of injury concerns comes less than a day after the controversial firings of the Buss brothers were announced.

Lakers Injury Report Features…..Nobody?

In NBA terms, a team having none of its players injured is extremely rare. Currently, teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets,

Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, and San Antonio Spurs each have at least five players listed with an injury designation, and though nothing new, its’ more noticeable compared to the

newly healthy Lakers’ roster.

But clearly, this is a first for Los Angeles this season. James missed the first month with sciatica, and though he made his long-awaited return against the

Jazz, he was one of many Lakers who missed time to begin the year.

Luka Doncic is also impossible not to mention. While he leads the league in scoring and is on a fast track to becoming an

MVP candidate, he missed a few games to start the year with finger and leg injuries. He returned quickly, but it raised early red flags for the Lakers with him

and James missing time together.

Gabe Vincent missed 11 games with an ankle injury, but like James, he was the most recent addition back into the lineup. Los Angeles was also without

Marcus Smart, Jaxson Hayes, and Maxi Kleber for a few contests. Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, and Jared Vanderbilt have also each missed at least one game this year.

In fact, through 15 games, Jake LaRavia is the only player who has yet to miss a game for the Lakers this season. While NBA teams are limited to the number of players they can bring to any given game, due to the numerous injuries,

Redick has played a total of 17 different players through the first month of the season.

But now, there are no clear injury concerns, with no players listed on the

Lakers’ current injury report, a great sign after their 11-4 start.

Joey and Jesse Buss Fired From Organization

While the lack of health concerns bodes well, the Lakers are actively dealing with another issue that likely

has more long-term impacts. Most recently, it was announced by Shams Charania that the organization fired the Buss brothers, who held roles in the scouting department.

Statement from Joey and Jesse Buss: “We are extremely honored to have been part of this organization for the last 20 seasons. Thank you to Laker Nation for embracing our family every step of the way. We wish things could be different with the way our time ended with the team. At…
https://t.co/2w3vjXWZ98
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 20, 2025

The sale of the team from the Buss family to Mark Walter is edging ever closer, and with that, the internal changes

were made. In an interview with The Athletic, Jesse gave insight as to how the firing happened, from his and his brother’s side of the story

While it’s hard to find the full details of why the moves happened, Buss said he hadn’t spoken to his sister and active governor Jeanie, as well as Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka,

in months, and didn’t hear from them about the news of his firing.

“No, I haven’t spoken to either of them in … five months,”

Buss, the team’s former assistant general manager and director of scouting, said. “But as time went on and there was a lack of communication between not only my sister and I…

I kind of felt like the writing was on the wall.”

Jesse Buss says he hasn’t spoken to Rob or Jeanie in “5 Months” due to the sale of the team.

Come Draft Day – when it came to drafting (presumably Thiero), Pelinka “just informed me of who we’d be drafting.”

🔗: Full Article via @DanWoikeSports t.co/6KwLFszBsp

The son of the

former owner, Dr. Jerry Buss, also said he felt as though he was treated as ‘an enemy‘ in the final stages of his tenure with the franchise.

“B

ut oftentimes within the organization, it kind of felt like I was being treated like I was working against them,” he added. “And, I guess you could say, like an enemy. But the only thing I ever wanted was the most success for this team

.”

After 45+ years, the Lakers are no longer a family project for the Buss team, soon to be run nearly fully by Walter.

J.K. Dobbins, Broncos Get Unfortunate Reality Check Amid Injury

Running back J.K. Dobbins is on injured reserve with a Lisfranc injury, and the Denver Broncos hope to get the veteran back for a potential Super Bowl berth. Likewise, Dobbins hopes that his tenure with the Broncos continues after this season.

However, there is a grim reality check for both sides to face, at least regarding the latter situation.

Unfortunately for Dobbins, all he can do is wait it out.

J.K. Dobbins’ Injury Puts Broncos Future in Jeopardy

GettyJ.K. Dobbins #27 of the Denver Broncos reacts against the Las Vegas Raiders

Dobbins was on track for a career year, rushing for 772 yards and 4 touchdowns on 153 carries, before suffering his injury in Week 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders on “Thursday Night Football.”

He signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the Broncos in free agency.

Despite his strong play before the injury, Dobbins’ history suggests the Broncos would be wise to take a wait-and-see approach with his future.

“The Broncos and Dobbins are each posturing as confident he can make a full recovery and get back to playing at a high level.” The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel wrote on November 19, noting the tailback’s hopes of returning in February.

“The reality, of course, is that Dobbins is a free agent after the season since he signed a one-year deal back in June. So while there’s no need to rush to any kind of prediction about Dobbins’ future, the nature of the injury and his contractual status make it at least plausible that he’s played his final snap in Denver.”

That is an unfortunate truth, but the Broncos have to take a long-term view on Dobbins.

Broncos Must Wait and See on Injured RB

GettyJ.K. Dobbins #27 of the Denver Broncos celebrates a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans.

The Broncos must consider the implications of Dobbins’ injury if they want to sign him to a multi-year deal, since complications could arise later on.

“Lisfranc injuries are really tough to come back from, though it depends on the exact nature of the injury, and we don’t know that precisely with Dobbins. We know it required surgery, which means there was tearing in at least one of several ligaments around that joint that needed to be repaired for Dobbins to have the structural integrity needed to get back to playing.” Gabriel wrote.

“The thing about Lisfranc injuries that’s so tough, according to Dr. Nicholas Strasser, an orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon I talked to this week, is that not only can the recovery itself be tricky and long, but also that they, in some cases, lead to longer-term issues like arthritis.”

The Broncos have turned to former undrafted free agent Jaleel McLaughlin alongside RJ Harvey in their backfield committee that also includes Tyler Badie in Dobbins’ absence.

J.K. Dobbins Remains Defiant Amid Daunting Injury

Dobbins overcame previous ankle and knee injuries to perform as he had for the Broncos this season, and he suggested this time would be no different.

“For those who will count me out again… Thank you,” Dobbins said in a post on X on November 15. “For those who are with me on this ride… stick with me! You will love what God has planned next [blue and orange heart emojis].”

He called himself “Mr. Comeback” in another post, but he faces a potentially lifelong battle.

The Broncos are 9-2 and in the driver’s seat in the AFC, which at the very least would make for less travel during the playoffs en route to a potential Super Bowl berth.

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