LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers injury news, Joey Buss, Jesse Buss, Lakers firings
Getty
Despite the controversial firings of multiple team personnel, including Joey and Jesse Buss, the Los Angeles Lakers were hit with great news.
The firings of Jesse and Joey Buss from the Los Angeles Lakers are the leading storyline for theleague’s most premier franchise. While the forced departure of the brothers of Jeanie Buss, the acting governor, and sons of former owner Dr. Jerry Buss, could be a cause for concern, the latest news out of the Lakers points to another positive aspect of their strong start to the season.
Most recently, for the first time this year, the Lakers have no players listed on their official injury report.Nobody is hurt, nobodyis set to miss timewith an injury, and now, a fully healthy roster for head coach JJ Redick, a month into the 2025-26 NBA season.
Matt
One of the big reasons why the Lakers have stayed competitive with all these injuries
Previously, LeBron James was the most notable Laker sidelined.Through theteam’s first 15 games, Adou Thiero, Gabe Vincent, and a couple ofother players bouncing back and forth were featured on the injured list, but now,they are fully healthy.
The news of theLakers’ lack of injury concerns comesless than a day after thecontroversial firings of the Buss brotherswere announced.
Lakers Injury Report Features…..Nobody?
In NBA terms, a team having none of its players injured is extremely rare.Currently, teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies, and San Antonio Spurs each have at least five players listed with an injury designation, andthough nothing new, its’ more noticeable compared to the newly healthyLakers’ roster.
But clearly, this is a first for Los Angeles this season. James missed the first monthwith sciatica, andthough he made his long-awaited return against the Jazz, he was one of many Lakers who missed time to begin the year.
Luka Doncic is also impossible not to mention. While he leads the league in scoring and is on a fast track to becoming an MVP candidate, he missed a few games to start the year with finger and leg injuries.He returned quickly, but it raised early red flags for the Lakerswith him and James missing time together.
Gabe Vincent missed 11 games with an ankle injury, but like James, he was the most recent addition back into the lineup. Los Angeles was also without Marcus Smart, Jaxson Hayes, and Maxi Kleber for a few contests. Austin Reaves, Deandre Ayton, Rui Hachimura, and Jared Vanderbilt have also each missed at least one game this year.
In fact, through 15 games, Jake LaRavia is the only player who has yet to miss a game for the Lakers this season. While NBA teams are limited to the number of players they can bring to any given game, due to the numerous injuries, Redick has played a total of 17 different players through the first month of the season.
But now, there are no clear injury concerns, with no players listed on theLakers’ current injury report, agreat sign after their 11-4 start.
Joey and Jesse Buss Fired From Organization
While the lack of health concerns bodes well, the Lakers are actively dealing with another issue that likelyhas more long-term impacts. Most recently,itwas announced by Shams Charania that the organization fired the Buss brothers, who held roles in the scouting department.
Statement from Joey and Jesse Buss: “We are extremely honored to have been part of this organization for the last 20 seasons. Thank you to Laker Nation for embracing our family every step of the way. We wish things could be different with the way our time ended with the team. At… https://t.co/2w3vjXWZ98
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 20, 2025
The sale of the team from the Buss family to Mark Walter is edging ever closer, and with that,the internal changeswere made. In an interview with The Athletic, Jessegave insightas to how the firinghappened, from his and hisbrother’s side of the story.
Whileit’s hard to find the full details of why the moves happened, Buss said hehadn’t spoken to his sisterand active governor Jeanie, as well as Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, in months,anddidn’t hear from them about the news of his firing.
“No, Ihaven’t spoken to either of them in … five months,”Buss, theteam’s former assistant general manager and director of scouting, said. “But as time went on and there was a lack of communication between not only my sister and I…Ikind of felt like the writing was on the wall.”
Lakers Legacy
Jesse Buss says he hasn’t spoken to Rob or Jeanie in “5 Months” due to the sale of the team.
Come Draft Day – when it came to drafting (presumably Thiero), Pelinka “just informed me of who we’d be drafting.”
🔗: Full Article via @DanWoikeSports t.co/6KwLFszBsp
The son of the former owner, Dr. Jerry Buss, also said he felt as though he was treated as ‘an enemy‘in the final stages of his tenure with the franchise.
“But oftentimes within the organization, it kind of felt like I wasbeing treated like I was working against them,”he added. “And, I guess you could say, like an enemy. But the only thing I ever wanted was the most success for this team.”
After45+ years, the Lakers are no longer a family project for the Buss team,soon to be run nearlyfully by Walter.