Los Angeles Lakers controlling owner Jeanie Buss was privately frustrated with superstar LeBron James on several fronts, including what she considered his muted response after the franchise drafted his son, Bronny James, last year, according to people familiar with the situation who spoke to ESPN.
The Lakers made history in the 2024 NBA Draft by selecting Bronny James in the second round, giving LeBron and his son the rare opportunity to play together on the same NBA team. But Buss saw the pick — a move that many around the league considered largely symbolic and a franchise gesture — as something LeBron should have publicly celebrated more, the sources said. She felt the Lakers had done the James family a favor and that the four-time MVP didn’t sufficiently acknowledge it.
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.
Those tensions are part of broader, long-running friction between Buss and James, people close to the team told ESPN. Buss reportedly grew tired of what she saw as James’ “outsized ego” and the influence that he and his representatives at Klutch Sports exerted over Lakers basketball operations.
She privately bristled at how James was often credited with “saving” the Lakers since joining in 2018, arguing that team executives and the front office deserved more credit for orchestrating that move and building a championship-caliber roster.
A flashpoint came after the Lakers’ ill-fated 2021 trade for Russell Westbrook, a deal the franchise pursued largely to appease James. The acquisition backfired dramatically as Los Angeles finished 33-49 and missed the playoffs. People familiar with the matter said Buss was disappointed that James didn’t publicly acknowledge his own role in the blockbuster trade that proved disastrous, instead seeming to deflect responsibility.
According to sources, Buss even contemplated not extending James’ contract at one point and, as early as 2022, briefly weighed the idea of trading him before James secured a no-trade clause in his 2024 deal.
Still, the Lakers ultimately agreed to a new contract for James in 2024, a decision Buss reportedly accepted with some reluctance, knowing that letting him walk likely would have sparked a public relations firestorm.
The reported strain comes as the Lakers navigate a historic transition. In a deal expected to approach $10 billion, the Buss family agreed to sell majority control of the franchise to billionaire investor Mark Walter, chairman of TWG Global, with Buss remaining as team governor and a minority owner.
Despite the behind-the-scenes tension, James has remained a centerpiece of the Lakers on the court, opting into his contract for the 2025-26 season while producing strong numbers as he extends his record-breaking NBA career.
Lakers governor Jeanie Buss issued this statement to @TheAthletic in response to today’s ESPN story, which includes reporting about her relationship with LeBron James.
“It’s really not right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he has to be pulled…
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) January 21, 2026
Offensively and defensively, the Lakers still revolve around James’ presence — even as the dynamic between the team’s leadership and its most famous player has become an increasingly complicated subplot to the franchise’s future direction.
