Story by
Lakers’ Jeanie Buss backtracks on LeBron James criticism
- Story by
- Lakers’ Jeanie Buss backtracks on LeBron James criticism
Lakers' Jeanie Buss backtracks on LeBron James criticism appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss addressed her comments on LeBron James from an ESPN story on Wednesday, backtracking on her unflattering remarks over James' tenure. Team sources revealed troubling times between Buss and James dating back to his arrival in 2018.
Advertisement
Buss is now saying ESPN distorted the narrative surrounding her relationship with James, which the Lakers are very appreciative of, she said, per The Athletic's Sam Amick.
"It's really not right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he has to be pulled into my family drama," Jeanie Buss said. "To say that it wasn't appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him."
While Buss was reportedly thrilled to sign a free agent of LeBron's caliber to save a struggling Lakers franchise in 2018, the move was perceived as James choosing Los Angeles rather than the other way around, which never sat well with Buss, according to ESPN's Baxter Holmes.
"Jeanie privately grumbled, people close to the team say, about what she felt was James' outsized ego and the overt control that he and Klutch Sports, which represents both James and Anthony Davis , exerted over the organization at times," Holmes wrote.
Advertisement
"She didn't like that James was considered a savior for a floundering franchise when he arrived in 2018, and that it was he who chose the Lakers rather than the team's leadership receiving praise for landing him. Team sources have been adamant for years that James' camp informed the Lakers as early as 2017 that he was coming to join them when he became a free agent the following year."
The relationship between Buss and James only worsened when the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook , according to ESPN.
Jeanie Buss considered trading LeBron James in 2022
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Lakers governor Jeanie Buss defied her father's wishes in selling the franchise for $10 billion. As Buss' inner circle began to shrink, shedding high-ranking officials from the Lakers' front office, she didn't hesitate to make tough decisions for the Lakers' future.
Advertisement
Buss also didn't appreciate the influence she saw that Lakers' LeBron James, and his representation, had within the organization, according to ESPN.
"Team sources say Jeanie privately bristled at LeBron James' outsized influence within the organization, even considering trading him in 2022, and believed James wasn't grateful enough for the team drafting his son, Bronny , in 2024," Holmes wrote. "Jeanie privately bristled about what she felt was his lack of accountability and the way James would shift blame onto others after the Westbrook trade, the people said.
"In 2022, in the aftermath of the Westbrook trade, multiple people said Jeanie privately mused about not giving James a contract extension and, later that year, even about trading James, with the LA Clippers floated as a possibility."
The Lakers reportedly considered trading James before his no-trade clause kicked into effect in 2024.
Related: Kawhi Leonard gets update on injured knee ahead of Lakers matchup
Related: Did Lakers' LeBron James just say he wouldn't play in the NBA All-Star Game ?
