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The LA insider explained that there is some "bad blood" between the two teams, not surprising given that they are city rivals. "There's a little bad blood there, I would say, between the ownerships," Buha said. "Like, I don't think it's two franchises that like love each other." For context, Lakers owner Jeanie Buss once nicknamed Clippers owner Steve Ballmer "Ballz," and the Lakers still have some "egg on their face" from the Ivica Zubac trade with the Clippers. "I don't think the Clippers would love trading Kawhi to the Lakers," Buha noted. "And at that point, if you're forced to trade him, I think the league's not gonna be like, 'You have to trade him to the Lakers, you have to trade him to team X.' It's gonna be, 'Alright, let's get into a bidding war here.'
Benjamin Royer: Jeanie Buss on Pat Riley: “Even though Pat hasn't worked here for more than three decades, those remain Laker principles in large part because of him. That's why it was so important to us to recognize Pat with this statue right here in the heart of downtown LA.”
Six-time NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss said new majority owner Mark Walter’s access to capital will help the team best compete with the NBA’s top franchises — and that her late father, Jerry Buss, would have supported the sale. “What was important to him was that the Lakers stay at the top of the NBA, and to stay at the top of the NBA, you need to have the resources,” Buss said. “You need to have everybody pulling together. And he would want [that for] the Lakers, because the Lakers are his legacy.”
LeBron James said Sunday he’s still unsure whether he’ll play beyond this season. Buss said she’d leave James’ future with the Lakers to James. Still, she sounded doubtful that he would return to the team next season, either because he would retire or because he would choose to play elsewhere. “Never say never, but you know, he certainly hasn’t given an indication,” said Buss. “He’s earned the right to decide how his career will go, and you know, he continues to impress.”
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Dave McMenamin: Rob Pelinka on whether Mark Walter’s resources are starting to be put into the Lakers: “Jeanie and I did a really deep dive with him on sort of the areas he wants to grow. ... There will be some positive changes and we will build things out”
Rob Pelinka on whether Mark Walter’s resources are starting to be put into the Lakers: “Jeanie and I did a really deep dive with him on sort of the areas he wants to grow. ... There will be some positive changes and we will build things out” pic.twitter.com/U7urdcoCjQ
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) February 8, 2026
Brian Windhorst: The Lakers were bought with Middle East money. I know that Mark Walter is the governor. I guess Jeanie Buss is the governor, but he is the controlling owner. But that group, Mark Walter's group, took on 10 billion dollars from Abu Dhabi shortly before. I don't work for the company, so I can't verify… But they took on $10 billion from Abu Dhabi and then three months later bought the Lakers for 10 billion. They actually bought it for six billion, but 10 billion valuation. The influx of that Middle Eastern money and the Lakers just swifted all the valuations. So maybe they knew that they could sell the team for 10 billion, but maybe they didn't think they could do that till 2035, but all of a sudden the Lakers are now worth a lot of money.
NBA Courtside: Brian Windhorst on LeBron and Jeanie Buss: "For 20 plus years now, part of dealing with LeBron is dealing with headaches. Sometimes he is going to upset you but whatever he does to upset you he makes up for it x10. x20. x50. That was the case in Cleveland, Miami, and now in LA. Has Jeanie been upset with LeBron at times? Absolutely. Would she give anything back about the last 8 years? Absolutely not!"
When asked about the rumored beef between him and Buss, the Lakers star flat-out said that he does not pay much attention to such reports. “Quite frankly, I don't really to get involved in that, or the reports, or whatever the case may be, I've seen a lot of it, obviously. I don't really care about the reports, to be honest,” James said, via Khobi Price of California Post. “I don't care about an article. I don't care how somebody feel about me. If you know me personally and then you know what I'm about. These guys know what I'm about, and that's all the matter. I can care less how somebody feel about me.”
Draymond Green: Do you bow down and like kiss the ring and say thank you I’m appreciative? I’ve seen LeBron speak out how he’s appreciative of the organization for giving Bronny a chance. Also Bronny did do some work. Bronny worked to become who he’s become as well. It’s not like this kid wasn’t a top recruit and didn’t play at a top college. Give Bronny some credit as well. Does LeBron being with the Lakers help Bronny get drafted there? Of course.
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The fallout from ESPN's report detailing an alleged rift between Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss and LeBron James may not be over, and NBA insider Chris Haynes suggested the timing of the story could be significant. Speaking on Wednesday on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Haynes questioned why the report surfaced when it did. "I just question, 'Why now?'" he said. "And if it’s 'why now,' usually when things like this start to trickle out, something’s about to go down. I don’t know what that is, but that’s usually how this works."
On his “Game Over With Max Kellerman and Rich Paul” podcast, James’ agent downplayed the ESPN report that Buss, the 64-year-old Lakers longtime owner, has soured on James and his “outsized ego.” “There’s an article written every day,” Paul said. “Who gives a s—t? “I don’t.”
Baxter Holmes: This is when the Lakers acquired Anthony Davis in a trade. And on that day, I was told Jeanie Buss and Jesse Buss, her younger sibling, spoke over the phone. For whatever reason, I was told she brought up this alleged promise that had been made years earlier by Dr. Buss with her mother, Joanne — that he would never have kids with anybody else. And for whatever reason, she brought this up on this phone call, sources tell me, and said to Jesse: "You should have never been born." Word about this made the rounds in the organization. And as one source told me, that marked the beginning of the end.
Sam Amick: Lakers governor Jeanie Buss issued this statement to @TheAthletic in response to today’s ESPN story, which includes reporting about her relationship with LeBron James. “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.”