“LeBron James Has Never Cared About Lakers Fans”: Doug Gottlieb Accuses LBJ Of Selfishness En Route To Billionaire Status

Joseph Galizia | 03/08/2025
Feb 1, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) reacts during the second quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

The reported meeting between LeBron James and Misko Raznatovic, Nikola Jokic’s agent, has made a big splash in basketball circles. Multiple outlets have claimed the two discussed forming a new league to rival the NBA. Raznatovic even posted on Instagram, teasing something major coming in the fall of 2026. It’s exciting, yes, but it has also triggered some backlash for LeBron.

The fall of 2026 lines up with the end of James’ current contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. The James-Raznatovic story gained even more traction due to rumors that LeBron is frustrated with the team.

Like most things involving the 40-year-old legend, it stirred the proverbial hornet’s nest in the professional sports media landscape. Doug Gottlieb, radio host and coach of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay basketball team, was among the many who gave their take on the reports. To say he was annoyed with James would be an understatement.

Gottlieb claimed that this move highlighted the type of person LeBron truly is: Someone who doesn’t care about the fans but only about himself and his inner circle.

“LeBron has never cared about Laker fans or being a Laker,” said Gottlieb on the latest DreamersPro Show on YouTube. “He clearly doesn’t care about being a Miami Heat, and doesn’t care about being a Cleveland Cavalier and what that represents, because he left there twice.”

It’s hard to imagine James not having some emotional connection with his days in Miami, or a deep-rooted love for Cleveland, where he started his career and even brought a title in 2016. In that sense, Gottlieb might just be drinking the hater-ade. But his next point hit a little harder.

“Conducting such a meeting and allowing your agent with a firm that you started to tweet out that picture showing that you’re trying to do harm to the league that helped make you a billionaire, shows that LeBron only cares about the relationships of people he knew in high school,” said Gottlieb.

Gottlieb does have a point on one hand. LeBron is one of the wealthiest athletes in the world thanks to his long career in the NBA and his endorsement deals, especially with Nike. But on the other hand, he earned every bit of it. He wasn’t just handed the keys to the kingdom. He worked hard for them.

James’ old teammate Richard Jefferson, who was part of the Cavs’ 2016 championship-winning team, feels that LeBron loves keeping fans on their toes. “LeBron loves this conversation,” RJ said on the Road Trippin podcast. Mission accomplished.

In a busy NBA offseason filled with trades, free agency talks, and the Jonathan Kuminga drama, this social media post featuring the King has been a hot topic.

As far as the new global league is concerned, while no one is likely to directly compete with the NBA, the idea might be hard for some big names to turn down, especially considering what’s reportedly on the table.

The league would reportedly be backed by global investors, and players will have equity, which is something NBA owners do not allow. Steph Curry recently spoke about players getting a piece of equity. Maybe Raznatovic’s vision is how they finally get it.

Post Edited By: Karthik Raman
Doug Gottlieb LeBron James Miško Ražnatović

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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