ESPN has revealed deep tensions between Lakers owner Jeanie Buss and LeBron James amid the family's $10 billion sale of the team to Mark Walter in 2025. The report by Baxter Holmes details family fights and Buss's growing frustration with James, who joined the Lakers in 2018 and won a title in 2020. These clashes highlight how quickly loyalties can shift in sports business.
The Buss family sold their majority stake in the Lakers after years of sibling rivalries that tore the group apart. After Jerry Buss died in 2013, his six children, Jeanie, Jim, Johnny, Janie, Joey, and Jesse, fought over control of the team. Jeanie became the controlling owner, but her older brothers Jim and Johnny tried to remove her power in 2017, leading to lawsuits and family rifts.
Jeanie fired Jim from his basketball operations role and kept loyal allies like Rob Pelinka and the Rambis family close. Younger brothers Joey and Jesse backed her then but later felt betrayed when she pushed the full sale. In November 2025, after the deal closed, she oversaw firings of Joey, Jesse, Jim, Johnny, and Janie, leaving her as the only Buss in charge.
Janie called it disrespectful, feeling like "a crumpled-up piece of paper thrown into the trash." The family trust was set up as "last man standing," but sales talk grew as the team's value hit billions. Joey and Jesse proposed selling a small stake first, but Jeanie voted to sell 50% to Walter, netting each sibling about $500 million after taxes.
Mark Walter, owner of the Dodgers and Sparks, bought control at a $10 billion valuation in June 2025, shocking fans even months later. The deal kept Jeanie as governor for five years with the family's remaining 17% stake. It ended Jerry Buss's dream of family ownership forever.
Questions linger about secret bonuses totaling $114 million to Jeanie's inner circle, like $24 million each to Linda Rambis, Joe McCormack, Dan Grigsby, and Tim Harris, and $8 million to Kurt Rambis. Siblings like Janie say negotiations happened behind closed doors without full family input. Joey and Jesse launched Buss Sports Capital after their firings, hinting at their dad's disappointment.
The Lakers' poor record under Jeanie, seven playoff misses in 11 years, pushed the sale amid billionaire owners rising in sports. Now with Walter's deep pockets and Luka Dončić on the roster, the future looks bright.
Jeanie Buss grew frustrated with LeBron James's big ego and heavy control over team choices. She disliked how people saw James as the savior who picked the Lakers in 2018, ignoring her role despite post-Kobe struggles. Things worsened after the 2021 Russell Westbrook trade, pushed by James, which tanked the team to 33-49.
Buss bristled at James's lack of blame for the flop and felt he shifted fault to others. In 2022, she privately thought about denying his contract extension and even trading him to rivals the Clippers. No deal happened, and James later got a $104 million extension with a no-trade clause in 2024.
When the Lakers drafted Bronny James 55th in 2024, a big favor despite his limited college play after cardiac arrest, Buss felt James showed no thanks. She saw it as ungrateful, worsening their rift. James remains a top NBA star, but these reports show cracks in their bond.
Trading LeBron in 2022 would have stunned the NBA, like the Luka Dončić deal. At age 37, James was still top-10, plus his global fame boosts tickets and merch. Sending him to the Clippers, same city rivals, might have cost them Kawhi Leonard or Paul George.
Clippers won just 44 games in 2022-23; James could have changed their winless title history. The Lakers dodged a huge backlash by keeping him, pairing with Anthony Davis to land Dončić later. Fans are glad, as it secures the future under new owners.
This saga shows how owner whims can flip team paths fast. Family drama ended an era, but Walter's cash promises contention. LeBron's clashes remind stars aren't untouchable. Lakers nation moves on with stars like Dončić, but Buss family scars run deep.
Jeanie’s clashes with LeBron, ego flares, Westbrook trade fury, Bronny draft ingratitude, and wild 2022 Clippers trade whispers, amid Buss family blood feuds that nuked Jerry's legacy and flipped the Lakers to Mark Walter's $10B empire, torches LA's purple-gold dynasty myths, sibling purge fallout, and LeBron's savior halo in their post-championship slide.
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