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The Los Angeles Lakers have a very different look today than they did even a few months after the Buss family sold a majority stake in the franchise.
Jeanie Buss sold her share to the current chairman and controlling owner of Los Angeles Dodgers in June after owning the majority of the franchise since 1979.
But an extensive report from ESPN made it seem like the writing had been on the wall amid tensions inside the front office as well as between Buss and LeBron James.
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LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball against the Memphis Grizzlies during the second half at Crypto.com Arena on January 4, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ESPN reported that Buss had been unhappy with speculation that James had chosen the Lakers during his 2018 free agency, rather than the Lakers seeking him out and acquiring him.
But recently, Buss complained “privately” about “what she felt was James’ outsized ego and the apparent control he and Klutch Sports, which represents both James and Anthony Davis, exercised over the organization at times” while James and Davis were teammates.
However, one decision the Lakers made in 2024 that created controversy was their selection of James’ son, Bronny, in the NBA Draft. Despite struggles in his lone year at USC — largely due to recovering from a sudden cardiac arrest — the Lakers selected James with the 55th overall pick.
LeBron James and Bronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers take the court for the first time during the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena on October 22, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images)
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Speculation has been that James had an influence on the selection, and ESPN’s reporting seemed to confirm that.
“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 he wasn’t,” ESPN reported. “That summer, when discussing a new contract for James, Jeanie seemed more resigned to the fact that they had to do it – almost grudgingly accepting that they would suffer a massive PR blow by not doing it.”
Representatives for James and Klutch did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Buss reportedly considered trading James to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2022.
When Jerry Buss died in 2013, the Lakers passed to his children, and Jeanie has served as the team’s governor ever since. She has continued to oversee day-to-day operations, and reports say she will remain governor for another five years.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James gestures during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets, Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
The Lakers won 11 of their 17 championships under Buss’ ownership, with their last in 2020. However, it is their only title since Jerry Buss died.
