Los Angeles Lakers controlling owner Jeanie Buss may not feel as warmly about LeBron James as she has publicly let on.
A new article by Baxter Holmes of ESPN revealed how infighting among the Buss siblings helped lead to the team’s $10 billion sale to Mark Walter. It also claims Jeanie has spent several years privately criticizing James, and did not like that he was credited as saving the Laker franchise when she was the one who landed him. She also complained about his “outsized ego” and the control he exerted over the franchise.
Buss felt that James refused to take accountability for driving the Lakers to acquire Russell Westbrook in 2021, a move made to placate him. Perhaps most notably, she felt that James was not grateful enough to the Lakers for drafting his son Bronny in 2024.
If Buss does feel that way about James, she has done a fine job hiding it from the public. There have been no suggestions that the two sides are not on the same page. At times, there is a sense that the Lakers can be frustrated with how demanding James can be, but that is hardly a problem that has been unique to the Lakers during his career.
On the other hand, there does seem to be some distance between James and the Lakers that has developed since the team acquired Luka Doncic. Perhaps that is driven partly by ownership, and it has not led to James trying to find his way to a new team. In the context of this new reporting, however, it might bear watching if James decides to play again next season.
