The waters are choppy at the Los Angeles Lakers after the publication of a report on ESPN in which they claim that Jeanie Buss has lost patience with LeBron James.
In the article ‘How infighting in the Buss family drove the $10 billion sale of the Lakers’ by Baxter Holmes, it is claimed that Jeanie Buss, president and co-owner of the Lakers, began to distance herself from LeBron after the failed Russell Westbrook trade in which ‘King’ James insisted in 2021.
Jeanie Buss, upset with LeBron’s ego, considered trading James in 2022
After that disagreement, Jeanie Buss reportedly considered trading LeBron James in 2022 and was reluctant to renew his contract in 2024.
The article also highlights the unease with “LeBron James’ ego and the blatant control he and Klutch Sports exerted over the organization”.
Jeanie Buss believes LeBron James was ungrateful after Lakers signed his son
The straw that may have broken the camel’s back for Jeanie Buss’ patience with LeBron James is the ingratitude of her star after the Lakers selected his son Bronny (21 years old and 1.88 m.) with the 55th pick in the 2024 Draft.
While it is true that Bronny James showed potential during private workouts and at the NBA Draft Combine, it is hard to ignore the reality that a franchise like the Lakers would rarely select a point guard who averaged just 4.8 points per game with USC in the NCAA.
LeBron James, who will become a free agent in the summer, is still performing at a high level at 41 years of age in his 23rd NBA season. In his last 19 games he is averaging 25.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists.
Jeanie Buss’ reaction to ESPN article about her family and LeBron James
Hours after the publication of this controversial article, Jeanie Buss told ‘The Athletic’ that “it’s not fair, considering all the good LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he should have to be involved in my family drama”.
Rich Paul, LeBron James’ high-profile agent, was quick to respond to ESPN’s shocking article about the deteriorating relationship between Jeanie Buss and LeBron James.
“Who cares? I don’t,” Paul said on the ‘Game Over’ podcast with Max Kellerman.
Rich Paul, defending his client, stressed that “you either know what’s true and what’s not.”
“Where there’s smoke there’s fire. But what I will say is that I saw some of the things that came out about it, and obviously they talked about different scenarios as far as the power that (James and I) could have and so on. This is all I know, all I know is this: there is appreciation for guys like Michael Irvin; there should be, our legends. And there should certainly be appreciation for someone like LeBron,” he said.
“What I know is that since we came to Los Angeles, we have been treated wonderfully. We won a championship,” Paul said. “I think when people see that things are going well, they try by all means to find faults and manipulate relationships and things like that. And in any relationship, no matter who it is, no matter how long you’ve been with someone, there will always be some kind of annoyance at some point.”
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