LA Lakers owner Jeanie Buss shuts down rumors of LeBron James and Klutch Sports running her organization.
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After a disappointing outing this season, the LA Lakers are staring at a tumultuous off-season, with several layoffs expected. The purple and gold seemed to have got it all wrong, whether it was their Russell Westbrook trade or assembling a veteran roster.
According to many reports, LeBron James and his entourage took over the reins from GM Rob Pelinka during the last off-season, calling the shots. Unfortunately, LeGM failed to deliver, following which a blame game would erupt within the Lakers camp.
Surprisingly, King James and his agent Rich Paul managed to escape all the blame, finding scapegoats in Westbrook and former head coach Frank Vogel. Most of the narrative in the media indicated James and agent Rich Paul running things in LA with Pelinka and Jeanie Buss on the sidelines.
During a recent interview with LA Times, Lakers head honcho Jeanie Buss silenced reports of James and co running things within the Lakers organization.
Jeanie Buss addresses rumors of LeBron James and Klutch Sports taking the calls.
It’s no secret that James has played an active role in the management aspects of his teams, whether it’s recruitment, extensions, or trades. The four-time champion and his agent Paul’s agency Klutch Sportz have a huge reach and influence in the league.
However, the notion that they run things within the Lakers was put to rest by owner Jeanie Buss, who had the following to say.
“Do they have final say? No. Are they running the team? No, no, not at all,” Buss said. “I am controlling owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, I’m held accountable for every decision that’s made here.”
While Buss didn’t deny James’ involvement on the management side of things, she reinstated having the final say in every matter. The iconic franchise has been through a lot over the recent years, from battling family issues at ownership to Magic Johnson stepping down as the President of basketball operations.
Recently, Buss had expressed her impatience with the team having a disappointing season despite having the fourth-highest payroll.
“I’m growing impatient because we had the fourth-highest payroll in the league. When you spend that kind of money, you expect to go deep into the playoffs. I’m not happy, I’m not satisfied.”
While one can understand Buss’ concerns, it remains to be seen if her management takes control of things this off-season or if James would continue calling the shots.
