It’s been a week for the Los Angeles Lakers.
On the court there was a comeback victory against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, followed by a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night in which head coach J.J. Redick said his team didn’t trust each other on the court. In between was a lengthy ESPN exposé on the contentious family drama involving Lakers governor and minority owner Jeanie Buss and her siblings. The report also featured Buss souring on James’ power within the franchise, and took a dim view of the superstar’s perceived ingratitude for drafting his son, Bronny. Buss refuted that particular claim in a statement to The Athletic.
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So you can imagine what set of questions James faced from reporters after Thursday’s 112-104 defeat at the Clippers.
When asked what he thought about his partnership with Buss, James said, “I thought it was good. But, you know, somebody could see it another way. There’s always two sides to a coin.”
Before that, James told the group of reporters in the locker room that the story didn’t impact him.
“Quite frankly I don’t really care about articles. I really don’t,” James said. “I don’t care about stories, I don’t care about podcasts and all that type of s***. That don’t bother me. … I don’t care how somebody feels about me. If you know me personally, then you know what I’m about.”
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Earlier this month, James’ agent and longtime friend Rich Paul created a stir from his podcast when he said the Lakers should deal Austin Reaves before the trade deadline. James distanced himself from those comments last week.
As for his relationship with Buss, James gave a quizzical look when he was asked if the two had cleared the air after ESPN’s report.
“We never talk. I don’t understand,” James said. “It’s not like me and Jeanie been on the phone talking. You guys ain’t never heard a report about that. Don’t make something out of it that’s not. It’s always been mutual, it’s always been respect, it’s always been a great partnership.”
