Jeanie Buss Responds to Report She Thought LeBron James Wasn’t Grateful for Bronny Pick

Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss is attempting to refute a story about a reported rift with LeBron James. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Jeanie Buss is firing back against allegations written in an ESPN feature about the Lakers on Wednesday.

The lengthy report detailed how the Buss family’s infighting led to Los Angeles being sold to Mark Walter for a $10 billion valuation. It alleges that Jeanie Buss was not happy with LeBron James’s attitude and believed he should have been more grateful that the franchise selected his son, Bronny James, with the 55th pick in the 2024 NBA draft.

The article claims the following:

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.

The report also claims Buss considered trading James to the Clippers a few years ago.

Buss has now responded to those allegations as The Athletic’s Sam Amick posted a quote from her to social media.

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. To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.

That’s a strong refutation from Buss, who remains the Lakers’ governor, while her five siblings have all been let go.

This is more drama that Los Angeles doesn’t need in the midst of a vitally important season. The Lakers are currently 26–16, and while it leads the Pacific Division, a rough stretch over the past month has dropped the team to fifth in the Western Conference. James is 41 and is set to be a free agent after the season, while the franchise is fully transitioning to Luka Dončić being its face.

If James is going to get a second title with L.A., this is likely his last chance. The 2020 bubble championship was special, given that it came in the months after Kobe Bryant’s tragic death. His Lakers tenure will always be remembered for that. But he was brought in to win championships, and he has one to show for his first seven seasons with the franchise.

We’ll see how it all plays out, but it’s clear Buss wants to put this fire out quickly to stomp out any distraction for the team.

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