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dave mcmenamin
Los Angeles– Lebron James Says they have met their goal of “restoring excellence” Los Angeles Lakers He built the organization by winning championships during his tenure with the club and “doesn’t care” what anyone – including team governor Jenny Buss – thinks of him at this stage of his life.
James made the comments after Thursday’s 112-104 loss LA Clippers When asked about a story published this week by ESPN’s Baxter Holmes that explored the dynamics of the Busch family leading up to the sale of the franchise to billionaire Mark Walter in June. The story included reporting on the allegedly strained relationship between Jenny Buss and James.
The story details the ongoing discord between Buss and James upon his arrival as a free agent in 2018, how the four-time MVP was “considered a savior for a faltering franchise”, rather than praising Buss and the Lakers for landing him.
An important point of tension described in the story was the result of failure Russell Westbrook The trade, which James did not take accountability for the move, caused Buss to be “personally distressed” by it.
According to multiple people quoted in the Holmes story, the rift was so intense after the Westbrook debacle that Buss “personally considered” not offering James a contract extension in 2022 and later raised the possibility of trading James to the Clippers.
When James was asked about his partnership with Bus, he had a different perspective.
James said, “I thought it was good, but, you know, one could look at it another way.” “It’s always two sides of the coin. … How I’ve represented this franchise, and what I’ve wanted to do to represent this franchise from the time I’ve been here to now, has been with the utmost respect and honor and dignity. And I would say loyalty. I mean, s—, I’ve played here a lot longer than any other franchise other than Cleveland.”
James said he has not spoken to Busch since the story was published, but explained that he has never had the kind of relationship with the team owner where he would often pick up the phone to talk one-on-one. This includes Dan Gilbert in Cleveland and Micky Arison in Miami.
James, 41, who has been featured in national publications since he was 14, said he looks forward to stories that dive into his life away from the basketball court.
“Honestly, I don’t care about these reports,” James said. “This is my eighth year here since I came here [in L.A.]It’s been 23 years in this league [always going to] There should be another article tomorrow, specifically involving me.
“At the end of the day, when I came to this organization, my whole mindset was about restoring excellence. The things I saw growing up with the Lakers — obviously, I didn’t get a chance to see showtime [era]But I know the history. Then in the early 2000s with Shake [O’Neal] and kobe [Bryant]And then what did Kobe do and those couples go with him and Pau [Gasol]. So, my whole mindset was, how can I bring that feeling back to the Lakers organization? … I was able to do, you know, win a championship with 14, 16 other guys, bring the championship here. That’s always been my mentality.”
James joined the Lakers when the team was in the midst of a five-year postseason drought.
LA failed to qualify for the playoffs in his first season in 2018–19, but James publicly lobbied for a trade for the team anthony davisa member of then New Orleans Pelicans.
The deal was completed in the summer of 2019, and the Lakers won the championship in October 2020 in the NBA Bubble in Orlando, Florida – the title dedicated to Bryant, who died in a tragic helicopter crash that year.
The Lakers have made the postseason in five of six years, advancing to the Western Conference Finals in 2023 and winning the inaugural in-season tournament championship the following season.
“Frankly, I don’t really care about the articles,” James said. “I don’t really. I don’t care about the stories. I don’t care about podcasts and all that kind of f—. No, they don’t bother me. I’m 41 years old, and I watch golf every day. I don’t care about an article. I don’t care about how anybody feels about me. If you know me personally and you know what I’m about, [my teammates] Know what I’m about, and that’s all that matters. …I could care less how anyone feels about me.”
Buss issued a statement to The Athletic on Wednesday addressing ESPN’s story.
“It’s really not right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he’s been dragged into my family drama,” he said. “To say it was not appreciated is simply not true and completely unfair to them.”
Buss changed the image on his Instagram profile to a photo of himself and James embracing after the 2020 championship win.
Before the Clippers game, Lakers coach JJ Redick said the entire team appreciates James.
“Everyone in this organization appreciates LeBron and what he’s done for the Lakers,” Redick said. “He’s carried on the legacy and, frankly, carried the burden of being a superstar for the Los Angeles Lakers for eight years. And he’s done it with class.
“And then personally, I can just talk about it. I’ve enjoyed coaching him at the highest level, like 10 out of 10. That doesn’t mean LeBron and I don’t have our disagreements, but I know with that guy, he’s going to put everything into it, and coaching is amazing.”
It also took two weeks until the NBA trade deadline on Thursday, February 5.
James, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, was asked whether he wanted to finish the season with the Lakers or whether he would waive the no-trade clause to explore the possibility of moving to another team.
“I’m good,” James said before leaving the locker room. “I’m good.”
