Jeanie Buss, Lakers knew what they signed up for with LeBron James

Let’s not forget that LeBron James put the Lakers back on the map. 

Really, Jeanie Buss’ success as Lakers’ governor is tied to James joining the team in free agency in 2018. It’s important to remember that when reading ESPN’s bombshell story published Wednesday which alleges that Buss has a lot of resentment towards James. 

Without quoting her directly, the story claims that Buss became frustrated over James’ “outsized ego,” the control both he and Klutch Sports wielded over the Lakers, James’ lack of accountability after the disastrous Russell Westbrook trade and James not showing enough gratitude after L.A drafted his son, Bronny, with the 55th overall pick in 2024.

Buss reportedly “privately mused” about not giving James a contract extension in 2022 and even trading him to the LA Clippers. Then Buss allegedly “begrudgingly” re-signed James to a two-year, $104 million contract in July 2024, fearing the PR backlash if she did otherwise.

Here’s the thing: Buss knew who James was before he joined the team. 

The face of the league comes with its mouth.

James has long been the most powerful player in the NBA. He meticulously controls his narrative. He has an outsized say in how things are run, whether or not he wants his name attached to those decisions. He has been the sun of the basketball universe for the last two decades, with everyone rotating around him. 

For Buss, having James on the Lakers’ roster has exponentially outweighed any cons. 

Buss herself took issue with the assertions around her relationship with James in the wide-ranging ESPN story, which cited team sources and sources within and around her family. 

“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,” Buss told The Athletic. “To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”

James made the Lakers relevant again after Kobe Bryant retired in 2016. He inspired Anthony Davis to demand a trade from New Orleans and force his way to Los Angeles. He won arguably the toughest championship of all-time in the Orlando bubble during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer while playing for the Lakers in 2023. This season, he became the league’s longest tenured player in his 23rd season. He has brought success, glitz and glamour to an organization that has long defined itself by those standards. 

Sure, James has made some mistakes behind-the-scenes, highlighted by pushing the Lakers to part ways with key pieces of their 2020 championship core to trade for Westbrook the summer before the 2021-22 season. (The Lakers went on to miss those playoffs.)

James then forced the Lakers’ hand again ahead of the Feb. 2023 trade deadline, including responding to a query over whether acquiring Kyrie Irving could turn the Lakers into championship contenders by calling it a “duh question.” That statement  was viewed as undercutting Westbrook, who was then promptly dealt to Utah. 

James has distanced himself from both of those moves. He claims he plays and the front office handles personnel decisions, but it’s obvious he wields a disproportionate amount of influence. That said, it would be hypocritical for Buss to blame him for not taking accountability when those decisions ultimately fall on her. 

Paul shrugged off the claims related to Buss and James in the ESPN story on his podcast, “Game Over With Max Kellerman and Rich Paul,” saying, “There’s an article written every day. Who gives a s–t. I don’t. You don’t know what’s true, what’s not true.”

Added Paul: “There damn sure should be an appreciation for a guy like LeBron.”

Before the Buss family agreed to sell majority ownership of the Lakers to Mark Walter for a franchise valuation of approximately $10 billion in June, it had become clear that the Lakers were no longer James’ team. 

That was never more evident than when James, who has had his fingerprints on every decision the Lakers made since he joined the team, didn’t know about the stunning deal last February that sent Davis to Dallas in exchange for Luka Doncic. 

Since then, there has been tension between Buss and James, highlighted by his agent, Rich Paul, releasing a statement in June which pointed out their conflicting interests after James exercised his $52.6 million player option. 

“LeBron wants to compete for a championship,” Paul told ESPN and The Athletic, before adding, “He knows the Lakers are building for the future.”

It’s normal for teams to reach infection points when their superstars age.

Do they show them loyalty or prioritize their next chapter? It’s clear the Lakers are focused on building around the 26-year-old Doncic, who could win them championships for years to come. 

While it remains unclear if James will retire after this season — or return with the Lakers or sign elsewhere as a free agent next season — this much is for sure: Buss’ appreciation for James should greatly overshadow any of her alleged grievances. 

Buss herself has gushed about James on many occasions.

She told the Los Angeles Times “he might be the greatest of all time” after his performance in the 2024 Olympics. And she tried to make it clear Wednesday amid the firestorm of allegations about her relationship with James that she has an overwhelming well of appreciation for him. 

As she should.  

James made the Lakers winners again. He has fully devoted himself to them for the last eight years, sacrificing his body to be able to do unprecedented things on a basketball court at age 41. 

Regardless of whatever frustrations Buss reportedly has with James, there’s no denying his impact on her career. 

Really, he helped define it.