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Jeanie Buss is putting some distance between her and the explosive report that sent shockwaves through Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Just hours after ESPN claimed the longtime Lakers owner’s relationship with her star player, LeBron James, has soured, Buss released a statement appearing to refute the allegations.
“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,” she said, according to The Athletic. “To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”
In the ESPN report, the outlet stated via team sources that Buss has privately complained about James and his “outsized ego,” as well as the power he, Rich Paul and their agency, Klutch Sports, has in the Lakers’ organization.
Additionally, it was reported Buss was peeved over the way James has not been accountable during down Lakers seasons, including in 2021-22, when he deflected blame following the team’s unsuccessful trade for Russell Westbrook.
Buss also reportedly was upset with the way James reacted when Los Angeles selected Bronny James in the 2024 NBA Draft, believing he wasn’t grateful enough.
Paul, James’ agent, downplayed the whole matter while on his “Game Over With Max Kellerman and Rich Paul” podcast earlier Wednesday.
“There’s an article written every day,” Paul said. “Who gives a s—t?
“I don’t.”
James signed with the Lakers in free agency in 2018 and went on to lead them to a championship in 2020. He’s currently in the final year of a two-year, $104 million deal he inked with the Lakers back in 2024.
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