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LeBron James opens up on Jeanie Buss relationship after rift speculation
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- LeBron James opens up on Jeanie Buss relationship after rift speculation
LeBron James; Jeanie Buss
One day after ESPN published a wide-ranging story about the notorious Buss family drama , and how the dynamics played a factor in the sale of majority ownership of the Lakers to Mark Walter last summer, franchise star LeBron James addressed the reported frustration franchise governor Jeanie Buss felt toward him.
Following the Lakers' Thursday night loss to the Clippers , James answered multiple questions in the visitor's locker room at Intuit Dome, including if he feels support and appreciation from team ownership in the latter stages of his tenure with the franchise.
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"Quite frankly, I don't really get involved in that, or the reports, or whatever the case may be," James said. "I've seen a lot of it, obviously, but I don't really – I don't really care about the reports, to be honest. You guys know me. You guys know since I've been here, my eighth year here, been in this league 23 years. It's gonna be another article tomorrow, especially involving me.
LeBron James during the Lakers' loss to the Clippers on Jan. 22, 2026. NBAE via Getty Images
"And at the end of the day, when I came to this organization, my whole mindset was about restoring excellence. The things that I [saw] growing up with the Lakers, obviously, I didn't get an opportunity to watch the Showtime [era], but I know the history. Then, the early 2000s with [Shaquille O'Neal] and [ Kobe Bryant ], and then what Kobe did and those couple runs with him and Pau [ Gasol ]. My whole mindset was like, 'How can I get that feeling back to the Lakers organization?' And then I was able to do that along with other guys winning the championship, bringing the championship here [in 2020]. That's always been my mindset."
ESPN reported Wednesday that Buss , the franchise's former controlling owner before the sale to Walter, privately complained about James' "outsized ego", the control that he and his agency, Klutch Sports, had over the Lakers and believed James lacked accountability for the unsuccessful Russell Westbrook trade.
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The ESPN report also mentioned Buss didn't appreciate that James was viewed as the "savior" for the franchise, "privately mused" about not giving James a contract extension in 2022 (James signed a two-year, $97.1 million extension in August 2022) and "begrudgingly" re-signed James to a two-year, $104 million contract in July 2024, fearing the PR backlash if the Lakers didn't.
James reiterated he didn't care what was written.
"Quite frankly, I don't really care about articles," he said. "I really don't. I don't care about stories. They don't bother me. I'm 41 years old, and I watch golf every day. I don't care about an article. I don't care how somebody [feels] about me. If you know me personally and you know what I'm about, these guys know what I'm about, and that's all [that] matters. I can care less how somebody feels about me."
Rich Paul, James' agent and Klutch Sports CEO and founder, downplayed the report .
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Buss released a statement to The Athletic on Wednesday that refuted the allegations.
Lakers Coach JJ Redick , who joined the franchise in June 2024, said before the loss to the Clippers that "everybody in this organization appreciates LeBron and appreciates what he's done for the Lakers."
Redick added: "He's carried on the legacy, and also truthfully, the burden of being a superstar for the Los Angeles Lakers for eight years. And he's done it with class. And then personally, I can just speak to it. I've enjoyed coaching him at the highest level, 10 out of 10. That's not to say LeBron and I don't have our disagreements, but I know with that guy, he's gonna put everything into this and it's been awesome to coach."
Jeanie Buss denied she was frustrated with LeBron James. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
James said he thought his partnership with Buss "was good" but added "somebody could see it another way."
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"It's always two sides of the coin," James said. "So like I said at the end of the day, how I represented this franchise, and what I wanted to do to represent this franchise since when I got here until now, it's been with the utmost respect and honor and dignity. And I would say loyalty. I mean, I played here longer than pretty much any other franchise I played for besides Cleveland ."
