Jeanie Buss gave a surprisingly vague answer when asked whether LeBron James deserves a statue outside Crypto.com Arena, and the timing of the comments has only added more fuel to growing speculation surrounding the relationship between the Lakers’ governor and the franchise superstar.
While speaking with producer Joe Andaloro earlier this week, Buss was directly asked if James had earned a Lakers statue after spending eight seasons with the franchise and helping deliver the organization’s 17th championship in 2020.
“He’s still playing. We don’t talk about statues until someone who does… We’ve talked about that. The first statue was Magic Johnson. We’ve gone back and added others. It’s always out there.”
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On the surface, the answer sounded harmless. But many fans immediately noticed Buss never outright said James deserved one.
The comments also came before the Los Angeles Lakers were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round, when Los Angeles was only down 0-2 in the series. Even then, Buss’ hesitation stood out considering LeBron’s resume with the franchise.
James helped deliver the Lakers their first championship in a decade during the 2020 bubble season. He became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer in a Lakers jersey, broke multiple longevity records, and helped restore relevance to one of basketball’s biggest brands after years of dysfunction.
Yet throughout this season, there appeared to be growing tension between James and Lakers ownership.
Old reports resurfaced recently claiming Buss once wanted to trade James to the Los Angeles Clippers back in 2022. Buss later denied reports that she viewed James as ungrateful, while Rich Paul publicly pushed back on rumors of major issues between the two sides.
Still, speculation never completely disappeared.
There were also reports earlier this season suggesting a possible LeBron trade could eventually emerge because of a growing disconnect between James and ownership. James himself later blasted reports about an ugly fallout with Buss, saying he did not care how somebody felt about him.
Eventually, reports surfaced that James and Paul planned to meet with Buss privately to clear the air.
Now things feel even more complicated after ESPN’s recent report that James believed the Lakers took him for granted throughout the season.
According to the report, James was upset after Lakers president Rob Pelinka gave a game ball to head coach JJ Redick for his 100th coaching win instead of recognizing LeBron’s passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most combined wins in NBA history.
Sources close to James reportedly felt the organization had already begun shifting fully toward a post-LeBron future centered around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. That context makes Buss’ statue comments feel far more important now.
James remains undecided about his future after the Lakers’ playoff collapse. He admitted following the Thunder sweep that he still does not know whether he will return next season, saying he plans to let his body, family, and close friends help him make the decision.
Meanwhile, Buss has publicly said she hopes James stays with the Lakers, while Pelinka recently stated the organization wants to ‘honor him.’
But with retirement rumors growing, trade speculation lingering, and uncertainty surrounding his relationship with ownership, Buss’ answer about a statue suddenly feels far less simple than it first sounded.
