Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss issued a statement regarding a story by ESPN about her criticism with LeBron James.
In the article published on Wednesday, Jan. 21, James had fallen out of favor with Buss for his role and actions in recent years involving the organization.
“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 in a statement to The Athletic on Wednesday regarding the ESPN story. “To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”
The story stated that Buss had not been pleased with the team’s superstar after he failed to take accountability for how things worked out with Russell Westbrook and for how ungrateful James appeared to be after the team drafted James’ son, Bronny, in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
LeBron James has not publicly commented on the ESPN story.
The bulk of the story details the role of the Buss family’s infighting and how it led to the $10 billion sale of one of the NBA’s most storied franchises. Jeanie has had a falling out with her siblings in recent years regarding the franchise that has been in the family since the late 1970s.
In February 2013, Jeanie became the controlling owner and governor of the Lakers, following the death of her father, Jerry Buss. In the role, she took full control of both the franchise’s business and basketball operations.
When do Lakers play next?
LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers will play at the L.A. Clippers on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. ET at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.