Jeanie Buss and her family sold the Los Angeles Lakers in June 2025 for a franchise valuation of approximately $10 billion. The family kept a 15% share of the team for a period of time.
Several months after the shocking decision, details about Buss’ days as team owner surfaced. Jeanie, who took over the franchise in 2017 and became the first female controlling owner to win an NBA championship three years later, was surrounded by controversy during the final years of her reign.
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Baxter Holmes of ESPN wrote on Wednesday that Buss became suspicious of people close to her. She tightened her circle, trying to avoid leaks. Additionally, she turned against those who once had a good relationship with her.
More than that, she reportedly turned against LeBron James, the man who led the Lakers to the 2020 NBA championship, too.
“And team sources told ESPN she even began to turn against the Lakers’ star player, LeBron James,” Holmes wrote.
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“Jeanie privately grumbled, people close to the team say, about what she felt was James’ outsized ego and the overt control that he and Klutch Sports, which represents both James and Anthony Davis, exerted over the organization at times.”
Buss didn’t appreciate it when people called James her team’s savior and acted like the four-time NBA champion chose the team instead of lauding the front office for adding one of the best players in league history.
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Another bad moment was when the Lakers traded for Russell Westbrook in 2021. The move was made to “appease” James, but things didn’t work with the 2017 MVP. James’ decision to shift the blame onto others after the trade turned catastrophic rubbed Buss the wrong way.
Mark Walter is in charge now, and the Lakers sit fifth (26-16) in the Western Conference standings. The future belongs to Luka Doncic, while LeBron James has taken a lesser role with the purple and gold.
Buss won the 17th title in franchise history and tied the Boston Celtics, but the C’s took the lead again in 2024, while the Lakers have struggled to be actual contenders.
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