According to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes, there was tension between LeBron James and Jeanie Buss. In an article published on Wednesday, Holmes reported that Buss had begun to express private concerns regarding “James’ outsized ego.” The Los Angeles Lakers‘ governor also had issues with the control of the star player and Klutch Sports.
Holmes had other claims about the reported rift between James and Buss, which grew over time. This includes the organization’s decision to draft his son, Bronny James, with the No. 55 pick in 2024. According to the ESPN article, the Lakers’ governor felt that the star player should have been more grateful for the franchise drafting the former USC guard.
On the same day, Buss responded to the claims from the report. Through The Athletic, the executive issued a statement, clearing the air between herself and LeBron James.
“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,” Jeanie Buss said via Sam Amick of The Athletic. “To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”
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
While the initial report has garnered attention, James has kept silent about the rumors about his relationship with Buss.
Rich Paul responds to the claims about him and LeBron James
While LeBron James has not issued his side of the story, his agent has taken the liberty to talk about it. Rich Paul, CEO of Klutch Sports, spoke about it on Wednesday’s episode of his show, “Game Over.”
“There’s an article written every day. Who gives a sh*t. I don’t. You don’t know what’s true what’s not true,” Paul said.
“The article talked about there’s an issue with LeBron and Klutch having too much power… I’m just saying that you don’t know if any of this stuff is true. What I know is from the time we got in L.A. we’ve been treated great. There was a championship won.”
Rich Paul full response on the Jeanie Buss article involving LeBron and Klutch Sports power 🚨
“There’s an article written every day. Who gives a sh*t. I don’t. You don’t know what’s true what’s not true. I seen some stuff that came out and obviously they talked about different… pic.twitter.com/LX2fR3TSA0
— Heat Central (@HeatCulture13) January 21, 2026
Paul shut down the noise and said that they accomplished their goal, which is to win a championship.
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