The Los Angeles Lakers are trying to build a rhythm on the court and are set to take on a lengthy road trip with the Dallas Mavericks up next tomorrow. However, the real story has taken place off the court. Recent reporting suggests an internal rift between superstar LeBron James and team governor Jeanie Buss. Now, a voice from within James' circle has spoken out.
"When you talk about just how things work, this really had nothing to do with us, per se," James' longtime agent and close friend Rich Paul said on Game Over. "I don't get into anybody's family issues. I think they have a billion of ways to figure it out. But I can only go by how I was treated and how we were treated. And that's been great."
Advertisement
According to Paul, the article driving the discussion, which originally appeared on ESPN, had been seen by him months back, and he had even forgotten about it entirely, because, according to him, it didn't matter.
Paul was clear to frame the situation as something that had generated outside the organization, and didn't feel the need to speak on the Buss family or the dynamics of ownership, especially considering it isn't his place to do so. He emphasized that his and James' experience with them had always been good, and that things would continue to be that way.
He framed the entire situation as a "circus," telling co-host Max Kellerman:
"I think people get so obsessed with the drama of it all… the media circus of it all is like me riding the Sp ace Mountain. It's like Media Mountain in the Disneyland of the NBA."
Advertisement
LeBron James has long been the easiest headline in the league, but it doesn't seem like him, Paul, or the Buss family are losing any sleep about the recent reporting.
According to the original reports, there were multiple reasons for the rift between LeBron James and Jeanie Buss, tracing back to the the fact that both James and then-co-star Anthony Davis were both signed to Rich Paul's Klutch Sports, which supposedly exerted a kin d of control over the Lakers organization. Buss apparently privately complained about this and James' oversized ego to others.
NBA, Basketball Herren, USA Oklahoma City Thunder at Los Angeles Lakers Feb 7, 2023 Los Angeles, California, USA Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James 6 hugs agent Rich Paul after breaking the all-time scoring record in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles Crypto.com Arena California USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGaryxA.xVasquezx 20230207_lbm_sv5_055
What made things even more tense was the aftermath of the Russell Westbrook trade in 2022, when multiple people claimed that Jeanie privately mused about not extending James, and even potentially trading him to the crosstown rival LA Clippers.
Advertisement
Ultimately, James ended up getting a two-year, $104 million deal that included a no-trade clause, with the two looking friendly and seemingly on the same page in public appearances. Buss also directly addressed the article in a statement afterward, saying:
"It's really not right, given all the great things LeBron has done for the Lakers, that he has to be pulled into my family drama," Jeanie Buss said. "To say that it wasn't appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him."
The post LeBron James' Agent Rich Paul Issues Message on Buss Family Treatment After ESPN Report appeared first on EssentiallySports.
Comments
Post a Comment