Lakers governor and minority owner Jeanie Buss has broken her silence on her alleged feud with LeBron James. For those unversed, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes penned an extensive report detailing the rumored tensions between James and Buss. Holmes also revealed that the franchise nearly traded their star player in 2022, given how strained their relations had become.
Lakers’ governor Jeanie Buss on rumored feud with LeBron James
Lakers’ governor Jeanie Buss has offered to explain her side of the story after reports of a rumored feud with LeBron James. In a statement to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Buss stated, “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. To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”
Fans commented under Amick’s X post. One fan wrote, “Jeanie coming in hot to defend LeBron from the family soap opera spillover. Classy move — dude’s done enough for the org without getting dragged into Buss drama.”
A second fan commented, “Fine PR statement, Jeanie Buss, and a weak attempt at damage control. You’re just saying that it’s unfair to him because of the deserved backlash for how you truly feel towards LeBron James.”
For those unversed, ESPN’s Braxton Holmes wrote that Buss felt that James did not adequately express his gratitude to the franchise for drafting his son, Bronny, in 2024. Buss feels the franchise went to great lengths to accommodate James, especially when they sold the team to billionaire Mark Walter for a reported $10 billion. The Lakers’ governor feels James did not appreciate her enough for the gesture.
In fact, the team signed the 41-year-old player to a new contract that included a no-trade clause. Holmes described Buss accepting the contract details “almost begrudgingly,” fearing intense backlash from Lakers’ fans.
Interestingly, while Buss cleared James’ name in her press statement, she chose not to comment on Braxton Holmes’ essay explicitly. All eyes will be on the Lakers as the NBA trade deadline is right around the corner on February 5. (SI).
