Jeanie Buss Reportedly Didn’t Feel LeBron James Was ‘Grateful’ for Lakers Drafting Bronny

The Lakers drafted LeBron James’s son, Bronny, with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA draft. The decision paved the way for LeBron to accomplish a stated career goal of his— to suit up alongside his son. He did so last year and became the first NBA player ever to share the court with his son. It was a very cool moment in the annals of basketball history, something most fans recognized despite the split opinions on whether Bronny had a future in the NBA.

The novelty and controversy of the selection has largely quieted since. The younger James is now working to carve out a spot in JJ Redick’s rotation for the Lakers. But a new report on Wednesday brought the decision to draft Bronny back into the spotlight.

ESPN’s Baxter Holmes published a deep-dive piece on the Buss family’s decision to sell the Lakers to Mark Walter last year. In his report Holmes revealed Jeanie Buss, the former controlling owner in Los Angeles, wasn’t pleased with LeBron’s attitude on the whole situation. In fact, she believed he should be more grateful the Lakers opted to choose his son.

“And when the Lakers drafted James' son Bronny with the 55th pick in the 2024 draft, Jeanie privately remarked that James should be grateful for such a gesture, but she felt that he wasn't, people close to the team told ESPN,” Holmes reported.

The fact that Buss viewed drafting James as a “gesture” worth gratitude reflects her attitude about the selection, that’s for sure. It’s hard to say if Bronny would have been drafted if not for the Lakers; his college tape was extremely limited due to a medical issue. But it’s not out of the question another team would have given him a chance simply because he’s LeBron’s kid and his natural-born gifts could develop in the right environment. This topic was a matter of much debate after Bronny went to L.A. and we now know which side Buss fell on.

Between this note and Holmes’s other reporting that Buss mulled trading LeBron to the Clippers a few years ago it seems there wasn’t a great relationship between The King and the head of the Lakers’ organization by the time the sale went through.

Under the new ownership umbrella LeBron is averaging 22.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while battling the various injuries that pile up as a 41-year-old. His son Bronny has appeared in 24 games for the Lakers so far, totaling 165 minutes.

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