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- Lakers star LeBron James says he has always had a “great partnership” with Jeanie Buss and says he came to the team intent on restoring excellence within the franchise.
- James’ comments come on the heels of an ESPN report that suggested there was a rift between him and Buss.
LeBron James downplayed any suggestion of a rift between him and Lakers governor Jeanie Buss on Thursday following an ESPN report that claimed the minority owner of the team had started to turn on the Lakers superstar.
“Quite frankly, I don’t really get involved in that, or the reports, or whatever the case may be,” James said after the Lakers lost 112-104 to the Clippers at Intuit Dome.
The report detailed years of infighting between the Buss siblings before the family sold a majority stake in the team to Dodgers owner Mark Walter last year. As the franchise struggled to recapture the magic established under Jerry Buss, Jeanie had grown distant and resentful, the report said, including toward James. Chief among her alleged grievances: James didn’t take responsibility for his involvement with the failed decision to acquire Russell Westbrook in 2021. She reportedly floated the possibility of trading James to the Clippers in 2022 and didn’t believe James was sufficiently grateful when the Lakers drafted Bronny James in 2024.
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Lakers star LeBron James responds to a report stating there is a rift between him and Lakers governor Jeanie Buss.
But James brushed it off.
“At the end of the day, when I came to this organization, my whole mindset was about restoring excellence,” James said. “The things that I seen growing up with the Lakers — obviously, I didn’t get an opportunity to watch Showtime, but I know the history. Then the early 2000s with Shaq [O’Neal] and [Kobe Bryant], and then what Kob did and those couple runs with him and Pau [Gasol]. So my whole mindset was like, ‘How can I get that feeling back to the Lakers organization?’ … And then I was able to do that along with, you know, 14, 16 other guys winning the championship, bringing the championship here.”
The Lakers’ 2020 championship, in James’ second season with the team, tied the franchise with Boston for the most championships in NBA history. The Celtics have since pulled ahead with an 18th title.
The Lakers have won two playoff series in the five seasons since that championship and have been eliminated in the first round in back-to-back years. They stunned the NBA by acquiring Luka Doncic last season but are struggling to hang on to a guaranteed playoff spot in the competitive Western Conference. They have lost six of their last nine games.
Against the Clippers they trailed by 26 points in the third quarter before rallying. James scored nine of his 23 points in the fourth quarter and converted a three-point play with 1:28 remaining to cut the Lakers’ deficit to three points. But the Clippers, who have won 14 of their last 17 games starting with a win over the Lakers on Dec. 20, answered with a reverse dunk by Ivica Zubac and a three-pointer from John Collins to seal it.
With up to eight players slated to become free agents, the Lakers could have a much different look next season if they can’t reverse their struggles.
“LeBron, for what seems like the 20th straight game, just gave us — he emptied the tank and gave us everything he had,” coach JJ Redick said.
After he missed the first 14 games because of sciatica, James is averaging 22.5 points, 6.9 assists and 6.0 rebounds. Since guard Austin Reaves reinjured his calf on Christmas Day, James has averaged 24.8 points and played more than 31 minutes in all but one of his 13 games, including playing two back-to-back sets of games in a week.
The 41-year-old James has achieved some of the most significant milestones of his career with the Lakers. He became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in purple and gold. He is the first player to play 23 seasons. He’s now in his eighth season with the Lakers, his longest stretch with any team.
When he came to the Lakers, James told Buss he wanted to return them to glory, he recalled while accepting the NBA Finals most valuable player award in 2020. Buss, standing nearby in the socially distanced trophy ceremony, smiled and clutched her hands to her chest when James brought up her father.
Asked Thursday how he thought the partnership with Jeanie Buss has been, James said “it was good, but somebody could see it another way.
“So it’s always two sides of the coin.”
Buss cast doubt on the report’s claims and stood behind James.
“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’s Sam Amick. “To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”
The two have not talked since the report was published Wednesday, but that’s not out of the ordinary, James attested.
“We never talked,” James said. “I don’t understand. It’s not like me and Jeanie be on the phone talking, guys. I never heard a report about that. Don’t make something out of it that it’s not. It’s always been mutual, it’s always been respect, it’s always been a great partnership.”
“I’ve been here two years, everybody in this organization appreciates LeBron and appreciates what he’s done for the Lakers,” Redick said before the game. “He’s carried on the legacy and also truthfully the burden of being a superstar for the Los Angeles Lakers for eight years. And he’s done it with class. And then personally, I can just speak to it: I’ve enjoyed coaching him at the highest level, like 10 out of 10. That’s not to say LeBron and I don’t have our disagreements, but I know with that guy, he’s gonna put everything into this and it’s been awesome to coach.”
James picked up his $52.6-million player option last summer. It’s the first time in his career he’s played on the final year of a deal. He will be up for free agency this summer along with several other Lakers, including Reaves, forward Rui Hachimura and center Deandre Ayton.
Asked if the Lakers need to make a move with the trade deadline approaching, James said they do, but brushed off questions about what they can do to improve the roster. As he turned to walk out of the locker room, James pointed to his hoodie that was printed with the name of his wife Savannah’s podcast.
“Everybody’s crazy,” James said.
Injuries have taken their toll on the Lakers through the first half of the season, but there is room for optimism despite the team’s on-court struggles.
