Lakers: Jeanie Buss Defends Kurt and Linda Rambis' Roles in Front Office
One can't recount the recent history of the Lakers franchise without including two key figures of the LA front office - Kurt and Linda Rambis. Or as they're colloquially known to some, the Rambi.
In an exclusive interview with The LA Times' Bill Plaschke, Lakers governor Jeanie Buss discussed a litany of topics. Buss talked about her impatience with an expensive roster that underperformed this past season, how she's leaned on input Lakers alums Phil Jackson and Magic Johnson for guidance, and will continue to do so, and also, voiced her support for the Rambi.
Kurt Rambis, who holds the position of senior basketball adviser, has drawn the brunt of the Rambi scorn from Lakers fans due to his significant voice in how the franchise operates. Some would even consider him the team's shadow general manager. Buss addressed the negativity surrounding the former Showtime era forward.
“I know that there’s been some unfair criticism of Kurt Rambis. I want to remind people, he’s been involved in the NBA for close to 40 years, that he has been a part of championship teams both as a player and assistant coach, he is someone I admire for his basketball knowledge.”
This past January, a report by Dan Woike and Broderick Turner of the LA Times stated that Rambis attended a coaches meeting and "advocated" for more lineups featuring DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard. It is highly, highly irregular for a front office executive, even one with "basketball knowledge" to storm into a coaches meeting and provide input on playing time and general lineup construction.
Not to mention, Rambis was the one believed to have ultimately steered the ship on the Lakers lowballing Tyronn Lue during his contract negotiations with the Lakers back in 2019.
Linda Rambis has long been a confidant of Jeanie Buss. In May of 2019, ESPN's Dave McMenamin and Ohm Youngmisuk reported that, at the time, Linda's opinion is what Buss "has long valued the most according to league and team sources".
Buss specified in her interview with Plaschke that Linda is not involved in basketball side of things for the Lakers.
“In terms of Linda Rambis, she does not have a role in the basketball department; her role is, as it’s been for the last almost 40 years, is as my advisor. She and I have worked together for years and years and years. Why that has become an issue for people, I don’t understand.”
