Lakers Exec VP/Basketball Operations JIM BUSS has put his penthouse in downtown L.A. up for sale at $8.8M. Found within the Ritz-Carlton Residences at L.A. Live, the southeast-corner unit "features wide-plank wood floors, Swarovski chandeliers and a remodeled kitchen with custom Italian cabinetry and a center island." Floor-to-ceiling walls of windows "center on views of the downtown skyline, Hollywood Hills and coastline." Nearly 4,300 square feet of open-plan space features "three bedrooms, three full bathrooms and one half bath." Buss "bought the penthouse three years ago" for $4.05M (LATIMES.com, 2/10).
HOUSE HUNTERS: An ocean-view Newport Beach, Calif., house once owned by former MLBer MO VAUGHN "is on the market" for $8.9M. The 8,000-square-foot house "has four bedrooms, an island kitchen with a breakfast nook, a media room, massage room, sauna and an elevator." Two staircases and cathedral ceilings "are among the design features, and the living room opens to a deck." Views of the Pacific Ocean and Newport Harbor "exist throughout the home" (OCREGISTER.com, 2/9)....Former NFLer JUSTIN SMITH "has sold his home in San Jose" for $2.5M. Built in '99, the 4,320-square-foot Mediterranean-style estate "sits on close to four park-like acres and is accessed by a private drive." A gazebo, a fenced sports court, a swimming pool and spa, fountains and lawns "make up the grounds" (LATIMES.com, 2/6)....Former NHLer NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN last month "sold a six-bedroom, 4,446-square-foot house" in Northbrook, Ill., for $600,000. Built in '97, the house "has six baths, high ceilings and a finished basement" (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 2/10).
