On the court there was a comeback against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, followed by a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night in which head coach JJ Redick said his team didn’t trust each other on the court. In between was a lengthy ESPN exposé on the controversial family drama involving Lakers governor and minority owner Jeanie Buss and her siblings. The report also showed Buss bitter about James’ power within the franchise, and he took a dim view of the superstar’s perceived ingratitude for recruiting his son, Bronny. Buss refuted that particular claim in a statement to The Athletic.
Advertisement
So you can imagine the set of questions James faced from reporters after Thursday’s 112-104 loss to the Clippers.
When asked what he thought about his association with Buss, James said, “I thought it was good. But, you know, someone might see it differently. There are always two sides of a coin.”
Before that, James told the group of reporters in the locker room that the story didn’t shock him.“Frankly, I don’t care about the articles. I really don’t care,” James said. “I don’t care about stories, I don’t care about podcasts and all that kind of shit. That doesn’t bother me… I don’t care what anyone feels about me. If you know me personally, then you know what I’m about.”
Advertisement
(Subscribe to Yahoo Sports NBA on YouTube)
Earlier this month, James’ agent and longtime friend Rich Paul caused a stir on his podcast when he said the Lakers should trade 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 asked if the two had cleared things up after the ESPN report.
“We never talked. I don’t understand,” James said. “It’s not like Jeanie and I have been talking on the phone. You guys have never heard a report about that. Don’t do anything other than that. It’s always been mutual, it’s always been respect, it’s always been a great partnership.”