A couple of years ago, LeBron James engaged in a raging debate that later turned into a social media meme with the Los Angeles Lakers’ governor, Jeanie Buss. However, Buss might have taken this setback a tad bit seriously and was almost about to trade James to their rival team. What seemed like a nice conversation between James and Buss had a completely different side of the story that even fans are speculating about.
An inside source revealed that Jeanie Buss felt LeBron James wasn’t truly grateful for trading Bronny James to the Los Angeles Lakers, which triggered her tremendously. Apparently, James had something to do with Russell Westbrook’s infamous trade as well. Let us dive deeper into what led to this beef between LeBron James and Jeanie Buss.
Jeanie Buss nearly crossed unthinkable line by weighing shocking trade amid serious rift with LeBron James
The real question that often lingers in one’s mind is what the feud is between Lakers’ LeBron James and governor Jeanie Buss. According to ESPN’s Baxter Holmes, “Team sources say Jeanie privately bristled at LeBron James' outsized influence within the organization, even considering trading him in 2022, and believed James wasn't grateful enough for the team drafting his son, Bronny, in 2024”.
He further said, “Jeanie privately bristled about what she felt was his lack of accountability and the way James would shift blame onto others after the Westbrook trade”.
Buss was pissed with James for not taking accountability for Westbrook’s life-changing trade amid a scapregoating rumor. In the aftermath of Westbrook’s trade, Buss even thought of not giving James a contract extension, which later on resurfaced the possibility of a Clippers trade.
Jeanie Buss’ long-simmering feud reportedly traces back to LeBron James’ "Women’s Day" message
Back in 2024, a video featuring LeBron James, Jeanie Buss, and Linda Rambis resurfaced on social media, which was later considered to be a “leaked” audio. The clip showed how James was having a substantial conversation with the ladies. He was basically wishing them on Women’s Day, saying, “First of all, happy…happy International Women's Day….to both of you”. “Y’all are two of the most powerful women in sports… Y’all deserve it”, he further continued.
While fans might think of this as an icebreaker between James and Buss, this wasn’t the case in reality. There’s still a deep feeling of anger and resentment between the two, and the NBA knows it all.