LeBron James Reportedly Ready To 'Move On' From The Lakers Amid Alleged Rift With Its Governor

LeBron James' time with the Los Angeles Lakers will reportedly come to an end this summer amid rumors of his soured relationship with the team's governor, Jeanie Buss.

The NBA star has since reacted to rumors about their strained relationship, saying the claims don't "bother" him.

LeBron James also asserted that he has remained on the same page with Jeanie Buss despite the wild speculations plaguing them.

LeBron James would reportedly not continue his playing career with the Los Angeles Lakers after this summer.

According to the New York Post, NBA insider Jake Fischer noted in a Monday livestream that "the Lakers are ready to move on from LeBron James and I think LeBron James is ready to move on from the Lakers as well."

Fischer placed the timeline for the split to be around June, adding that "that's kind of the foregone sentiment in Los Angeles right now about what's to come this summer."

He also claimed the team is now looking to build around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves after their relationship with James ends.

James has remained a stellar performer for the Lakers since he joined from the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018. He has averaged 26.3 points, 8.0 assists, and 7.8 rebounds, also helping the team to the 2020 NBA championship.

Rumors of James' potential exit from the Lakers come amid reports he has had to endure a strained relationship with Jeanie Buss, the governor of the franchise.

Amid a disappointing run of results for the Lakers in the closing stage of last year and early this year, ESPN claimed in an article that the governor has grown frustrated with the 4-time NBA champion.

The report also alleged that Buss had grown tired of James' "outsized ego" and did not like that he had been projected as the "savior" of the franchise when he arrived in 2018.

She was also wary of the "overt control" that James and Klutch Sports exerted on the organization at times.

The gap between James and Buss reportedly widened after the Lakers traded Russell Westbrook in July 2021, which seemingly backfired as the team went 33-49 and missed the playoffs at the time, causing James to wash his hands of his role in the acquisition.

According to the news outlet, the source claimed Buss didn't like his "lack of accountability" as well as the way he "shifted blame onto others" after the Westbrook deal.

Reports also claimed that when the team drafted his song Bronny in 2024, she felt James should be grateful, but he wasn't.

Meanwhile, James has since downplayed the rumors suggesting he was at odds with Buss.

"Quite frankly, I don't really get involved in that or the reports or whatever the case may be," James said, per Fox News Digital.

According to the news outlet, he seemingly addressed some of the article's claims, saying he joined the Lakers 8 years ago to return it to its former glory.

"At the end of the day, when I came to this organization, my whole mindset was about restoring excellence," James said. "The things that I saw growing up with the Lakers — obviously, I didn't get an opportunity to watch Showtime, but I know the history."

He continued,  "Then the early 2000s with Shaq [O'Neal] and [Kobe Bryant], and then what Kobe did and those couple runs with him and Pau [Gasol]. So, my whole mindset was like, 'How can I get that feeling back to the Lakers organization?'"

"And then I was able to do that along with, you know, 14, 16 other guys winning the championship, bringing the championship here," James added.

James also made it clear what matters to him, as Buss distanced herself from some of the claims the article made.

"Quite frankly, I don't really care about articles. I don't care about stories. I don't care about podcasts and all that type of sh-t. It don't bother me. I'm 41 years old, and I watch golf every day. I don't care about an article," he said.

"I don't care how somebody feels about me. If you know me personally, then you know what I'm about. These guys know what I'm about, and that's all that matters. I could care less how someone feels about me," James stated.

He added that it's okay for him and Buss not to talk often, but he has remained on the same page with her, adding that "it's always been a great partnership" between them.

Buss also addressed the reports, saying in a statement, "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," she added.