LeBron James Makes Bold Lakers Statement After Scathing Jeanie Buss 'Ego' Take Down

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And the Los Angeles Lakers thought their biggest problem was terrible defense or LeBron James' all-powerful agent Rich Paul pontificating Austin Reaves trades.
In a scathing feature dropped by ESPN's Baxter Holmes, former owner turned Lakers governor Jeanie Buss went "Game of Thrones" style for the Mark Walter group that bought the storied NBA franchise for $10 billion, firing everyone of her siblings red wedding style.
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As if that wasn't scandalous enough, the juiciest section of the feature might be the unsavory things reported about Dr. Jerry Buss' daughter Jeanie, 64, with regards to Paul's most famous client and business partner, LeBron James.
LeBron's 'outsized ego' has become too much for Jeanie

"Jeanie privately grumbled... about what she felt was James' outsized ego and the overt control that he and Klutch Sports... exerted over the organization at times," Holmes writes.
For those that don't know, Rich Paul runs Klutch Sports, and it has been a common complaint among many NBA executives. So Buss is certainly not alone. This feature might also be a direct retaliation for Paul spouting off getting rid of Reaves, a Lakers fan-favorite and free agent at the end of the season, after the 27 year old rejected LA's extension offer.
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Mrs. Buss was reportedly also upset that LeBron, 41, a four-time NBA champion and league MVP, was not "grateful" that the team drafted his son Bronny James, 21, which many thought was an overreach, not to mention the very unusual $4.4 million guaranteed money for a second-round pick.
Jeanie Buss began to turn on LeBron James years ago, per @Baxter
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) January 21, 2026
- Grumbled about James “outsized ego”
- Felt Klutch exerted too much control
- Didn’t like how LeBron was considered a savior
- Lack of accountability over the Westbrook trade
- Privately mused about not giving… pic.twitter.com/OEFNVBgFho
LeBron claps back on his Instagram Stories

The 21-time NBA All-Star and generational talent that is widely considered one of the greatest of all time, with some calling him the GOAT over Michael Jordan, was obviously not going to stay completely silent.
Posting on his Instagram Stories, King James reposted a close-up of his Nike "Shut Up and Dribble 23s", which conveniently say, "Still King."
To make it clear, LeBron also commented on his own post in all caps, "STILL" with the yelling emoji.

Needless to say get your popcorn ready, because this seems like a possible divorce in the making as the NBA trade deadline looms.

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Matthew Graham has over 20 years of media experience and oversees The Athlete Lifestyle On SI. He has had previous leadership roles at NBC Sports, Yahoo, and USA TODAY, where he co-founded For The Win (named Best Mobile Site by Digiday). He has also written for ESPN, Cosmopolitan, US Weekly, People, E! Online, and FHM, covering major sports and entertainment events like the Oscars, the Golden Globes, NBA Finals, Super Bowl, and winning the Yahoo Superstar Award for coverage of the Olympics.