The Los Angeles Lakers found themselves at the center of attention on Wednesday.

An ESPN story on the record-breaking $10 billion sale of the franchise by the Buss family to Mark Walter and his ownership group detailed how infighting among the Buss family led to the sale. The story also included reporting about issues in the relationship between Jeanie Buss and LeBron James, chronicling frustrations in recent years that the former owner and current governor had with James and his longtime agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul.

Among the items that irked Buss, according to the story, were James’ ego and the influence that he and Klutch had within the franchise, an influence that was outsized in part because the agency also represented star forward Anthony Davis.

In a statement to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, Buss said it was unfortunate that her star player was pulled into the story.

“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,” Buss told Amick. “To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”

Still, it’s no secret that the relationship has often been strained in recent years.

While James and Davis led the Lakers to the bubble title in 2020, there was still no shortage of disappointment for the organization before and after that peak moment. The challenging dynamics between James/Paul and the Lakers have resurfaced from time to time, including a meeting among all parties in 2022 that was intended to clear the air. What’s more, James’ penchant for sharing his discontent about the Lakers’ state of affairs — on the record and through other media means — has long been known to be a point of frustration for Buss.

The arrival of Luka Dončić in early February of 2025 changed the power dynamics surrounding the Lakers, as Davis was sent to the Mavericks in the deal. And because Dončić is not represented by Klutch, but by Bill Duffy of WME, that was seen by Lakers officials as a welcome decentralization of influence when it came to their top two co-stars. The new reality between James and the Lakers was on full display last summer, when — as The Athletic reported at the time — he was not given an extension offer before deciding to pick up his player option for this season.

After the Lakers’ sale was finalized in the offseason, Buss was named the team’s governor and is expected to retain that title for at least five seasons. In November, she fired two brothers with high-ranking roles, Joey (vice president of research and development) and Jesse (assistant general manager). She also fired her brothers Jim and Johnny, as well as her sister Janie.

— The Athletic’s Sam Amick contributed to this story.