Rich Paul offers unexpected response to report about tension between LeBron James, Jeanie Buss

LeBron James' agent, Rich Paul, insists another bombshell report about the Los Angeles Lakers forward is no biggie. 

On Wednesday, ESPN's Baxter Holmes published a story detailing how infighting severed the Buss family before it relinquished ownership of the Lakers. The article revealed Jeanie Buss — daughter of former Lakers owner Jerry — grew tired of James before spearheading the sale of the team to TWG Global CEO Mark Walter for $10B in June 2025.

Jeanie Buss reportedly complained about James' "oversized ego," and Klutch Sports, Paul's agency, influencing the franchise's decision-making. She also supposedly considered trading the 21-time All-Star to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2022 before giving him a contract extension. Instead of defending his client, Paul trivialized the report. 

Rich Paul responds to Jeanie Buss-LeBron James rumors

"Who gives a [expletive]," Paul said Wednesday on "Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul." "I don't, right? You don't know what's true. What's not true. But where there's smoke, there's fire. I saw some of the stuff that came out about it, and obviously, they talked about different scenarios in terms of power that we may have. Here's all I know. There's an appreciation for guys like Michael Irvin, there should be, our legends. And there damn should be appreciation for a guy like LeBron.

"From the time we've gotten to L.A., we've been treated great," Paul continued. 

Jeanie Buss, meanwhile, issued a statement to The Athletic's Sam Amick expressing her respect for 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."