INGLEWOOD — LeBron James dismissed any notion that there is friction between him and Lakers governor Jeanie Buss, which was cited in an ESPN story this week on the Buss family drama and how it led to the team being sold to Mark Walter.
According to the report, Jeanie Buss soured on James after the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook in 2021, a move the team made to satisfy the superstar but one that backfired. Buss reportedly was upset with the way James dismissed his part in pursuing Westbrook and blamed others after the move failed, according to ESPN.
The relationship further deteriorated after Buss reportedly felt that James wasn’t appreciative of the team’s efforts to bring his son, Bronny, on board, according to the report.
“Quite frankly, I don’t really get involved in that, or the reports, or whatever the case may be,” James said after Thursday night’s loss to the Clippers at the Intuit Dome. “I’ve seen a lot of it, obviously, but I don’t really care about the reports, to be honest. … (there’s) gonna be another article tomorrow, especially involving me.”
James, who has been with the Lakers for eight seasons, said when he arrived in L.A. in 2018 his mindset was to help restore a level of excellence to the Lakers, who had not won a title since 2010. He then led the team to the 2020 NBA championship, the franchise’s 17th.
“My whole mindset was like, how can I get that feeling back to the Lakers organization,” he said. “And then I was able to do that along with, you know, 14, 16, other guys winning the championship, bringing the championship here. That’s always been my mindset.”
James said winning, not headlines, stories or podcasts, is what drives him, now in his unprecedented 23rd NBA season.
“They don’t bother me. I’m 41 years old, and I watch golf every day. I don’t care about an article,” James said. “I don’t care how somebody feels about me. If you know me personally and you know what I’m about, these guys know what I’m about, and that’s all that matters. I don’t – I can care less how somebody feels about me.”
James said he thought he and Buss had an amicable relationship, so the news that she was upset caught him off guard.
“I thought it was good, but, you know, somebody could see it another way,” James said. “There’s always two sides to the coin.
“How I represented this franchise, and what I wanted to do to represent this franchise from when I got here until now, has been with the utmost respect and honor and dignity. And I would say loyalty.”
James added that he has not spoken to Buss since the story was published but said he has never had the type of relationship with a team owner where he would talk one-on-one very often. That includes Dan Gilbert in Cleveland and Mickey Arison in Miami.
Buss issued a statement to The Athletic on Wednesday, addressing ESPN’s story.
“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,” she said. “To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”
Buss also changed the image on her Instagram profile to a photo of her and James embracing after the 2020 championship win.
The ESPN story also surprised James, who said he never heard about it before it was published.
“Don’t make something out of it that it’s not,” he said. “It’s always been mutual. It’s always been respect, it’s always been a great partnership … don’t make this more than what it is. I don’t care.”
"My whole mindset is restoring excellence."
LeBron James (23 PTS, 6 AST, 5 REB) shares his thoughts on tonight's 112-104 loss vs. LA Clippers. pic.twitter.com/xlDRoWSqh0
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) January 23, 2026
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