Amid rumors of tension between Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss and superstar player LeBron James, Klutch Sports Group founder Rich Paul downplayed any potential issues this week.
Speaking on his Game Over podcast with Max Kellerman, Paul insisted that he and James have always been treated well by the Lakers organization despite the report that surfaced earlier this week.
“We have been treated great, we will continue to be treated great,” Paul said. “I am so happy that Jeanie was able to do what she’s done and the value of the team went up. … Here’s the thing I’ll close it on, as governor she won the championship with two guys leading the show. One name is LeBron James, the other name is Anthony Davis. That team also had four other Klutch clients. So six out of the 14. We enjoyed ourselves in the bubble, we enjoyed that season and they won.”
ESPN’s Baxter Holmes dropped a report detailing the Buss family feud that led to the sale of the Lakers to Mark Walter. Within that report, Holmes included information from team and league sources, which indicated that Buss had grown frustrated with James and Klutch.
Buss reportedly “privately grumbled” about what she felt was James’ “outsized ego.” She reportedly also voiced her concerns over Klutch exerting “overt control” over the Lakers organization.
In a statement provided to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Buss took aim at the report, 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. To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.”
LeBron and AD, who were undoubtedly Klutch’s two biggest clients at the time, were the driving force behind the Lakers winning their most recent championship in 2020.
Kellerman chimed in, saying that if he was Paul, he would want a “thank you” from the Lakers organization for providing them with two superstar players who won a championship, but Paul insisted there was no need for it.
“I don’t need a thank you because I’m shown a thank you every time I walk in the building,” Paul said. “It’s not about what you say, it’s about what you do.”
Despite any potential tension between James and Buss, LeBron has continued to re-sign with the Lakers, and he is now in the midst of his eighth season with the team.
While James’ future beyond this season is unclear since he could retire or even sign elsewhere in free agency, he remains a key contributor to a team that has championship aspirations.
