Jeanie Buss is forcefully denying a recent report that suggested her relationship with LeBron James had deteriorated to the point where she once considered trading him.
In a statement to The Athletic, and confirmed by The New York Post, Buss pushed back on claims that James wasn’t appreciated by the organization, calling that characterization inaccurate and unfair.
“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 said. “To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”
While much of the reporting focused on Buss family infighting and the eventual sale of the team to Mark Walter, the piece also outlined alleged friction between Buss and James behind the scenes.
According to ESPN, team sources claimed Buss privately took issue with James’ influence within the franchise, particularly the power wielded by him, his agent Rich Paul, and Klutch Sports.
The report said she was frustrated by what she viewed as a lack of accountability during disappointing Lakers seasons, including 2021–22, when the Russell Westbrook trade failed, and the team missed the playoffs.
The reporting also alleged that in 2022, Buss privately discussed the possibility of not offering James a contract extension and even floated the idea of trading him, with the LA Clippers mentioned internally as a hypothetical destination. At that point, James did not yet have a no-trade clause, which he later secured in his 2024 extension.
Another flashpoint cited in the ESPN report centered on the 2024 NBA Draft, when the Lakers selected Bronny James in the second round. The move allowed LeBron to realize his long-standing goal of playing in the NBA alongside his son, but sources told ESPN that Buss felt James should have been more openly grateful for the gesture.
Rich Paul, for his part, downplayed the entire situation earlier the same day, brushing off the report as just another headline in the daily NBA news cycle.