LeBron James says he achieved his goal of restoring excellence to the Los Angeles Lakers organization by winning a championship and that he “doesn’t care” what anyone, including team governor Jeanie Buss, thinks about him at this stage of his life. The 41-year-old made the comments Thursday after a 112-104 loss to the LA Clippers when asked about a story published this week by ESPN’s Baxter Holmes.
The story explored the dynamics of the Buss family that led to the sale of the franchise to billionaire Mark Walter in June. It included coverage of the allegedly strained relationship between Buss and James, detailing the disagreement when he arrived as a free agent in 2018.
A major point of tension was the fallout from the failed Russell Westbrook trade, which left Buss “privately angry” over James’ failure to take responsibility. According to multiple sources cited in the story, Buss “privately” mused about not offering James a contract extension in 2022 and later had him traded to the Clippers.
James offered a different perspective when asked about working with Buss.
“I thought it was good, but you know, someone might see it a different way,” James said. “It’s always two sides of the coin. … How I represented this franchise, and what I wanted to do to represent this franchise since I got here until now, was done with the utmost respect, honor and dignity. And I would say loyalty. I mean, s—, I played here longer than pretty much any other franchise I played for besides Cleveland.”
James added that he has not spoken to Buss since the story was published, but explained that he has never had the kind of relationship with a team owner that involved frequent one-on-one phone calls, including Dan Gilbert in Cleveland and Mickey Arison in Miami.
“I don’t really care about the reports, to be honest,” James said. “Since I’ve been here, my eighth year here [in L.A.]has been in this league for 23 years, there is [always going to] tomorrow another article, mainly about me. When I finally joined this organization, my entire mindset was focused on restoring excellence. The stuff I saw growing up with the Lakers – obviously I didn’t get a chance to watch the Showtime [era]but I know the history. Then in the early 2000s with Shaq [O’Neal] and Kobe [Bryant]and then what Kobe did and that couple runs with him and Pau [Gasol]. So my whole mentality was, how can I bring that feeling back to the Lakers organization? … 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 mentality.”
James joined the Lakers during a five-year postseason drought. The Lakers failed to qualify for the playoffs in his first season in 2018-19, but James publicly lobbied for the team to trade for Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans.
The deal was completed in the summer of 2019 and the Lakers won the championship in the NBA bubble in Orlando in October 2020, dedicating the title to Kobe Bryant, who died in a tragic helicopter crash that year. The Lakers have made the postseason in five of the six years since and have advanced to the Western Conference finals in 2023.
“Honestly, I don’t really care about articles,” James said. “No way. I don’t care about stories. I don’t care about podcasts and all that stuff. No, they don’t bother me. I’m 41 years old and I watch golf every day. I don’t care about an article. I don’t care what anyone thinks about me. If you know me personally and what I stand for, [my teammates] I know what I’m talking about, and that’s all that matters. … I don’t care what anyone thinks about me.”
Buss released a statement to The Athletic on Wednesday discussing the story.
“It really isn’t right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he should be dragged into my family drama,” she said. “To say it was not appreciated is simply not true and completely unfair to him.”
JJ Redick said Thursday that the entire organization appreciates James.
“Everyone in this organization appreciates LeBron and appreciates what he has done for the Lakers,” Redick said. “He’s carried on the legacy and, honestly, the burden of being a superstar for the Los Angeles Lakers for eight years. And he’s done it with class. And personally, I can just relate. I’ve enjoyed coaching him at the highest level, like 10 out of 10. That’s not to say that LeBron and I don’t have our differences, but I know with that guy he’s going to put everything he has into this process, and it’s been a blast to coach.”
Thursday also marked two weeks until the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 5. James, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, was asked if he wanted to finish the season with the Lakers or explore a move to another team.
“I’m fine,” James said before leaving the locker room. “I’m good.”
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