It’s not even a week since the last ESPN report about Jeanie Buss’ alleged true feelings about LeBron James and her frustration with his attitude. Now, we have another report; this time, the center of attention is Bronny James. Even before anyone from the controversy could react to it, fans have seemingly given their verdict.

On The Mason and Ireland Show, ESPN reporter Ramona Shelburne stated that Bronny was drafted by Los Angeles without any influence from LeBron. “I don’t think LeBron asked the Lakers to draft. I don’t think he or Rich Paul actually said.” Even the show’s hosts couldn’t believe it and said, “Oh, cmon! Oh, please! That is an unbelievably ridiculous concept!” So, the next question is, did Jeanie Buss and GM Rob Pelinka draft Bronny on merit?

Shelburne clearly stated, “I’m telling you they did.” Adding more to this, the motivation behind this decision was apparently, “they thought LeBron would like that.” The Lakers used the No. 55 pick to select Bronny James. This led to debate around nepotism, merit, and long-term vision. Even Stephen A. Smith ended up clashing with LeBron because of it.

Shelburne further bolstered her case by noting legitimate pre-draft interest from other teams: “The Golden State Warriors considered him. The Dallas Mavericks… old Nico Harrison over there. And the Phoenix Suns. All three of those teams had interest in Bronny. Would they have actually taken him? I don’t know. I know that they had interest for the same reason that I just told you the Lakers [did].”

Shelburne concluded her admission that this was not something she was sensing, “No, I know this.” Now, this entire saga continues. This subtle, non-explicit dynamic represents a maturing of the player-empowerment era: superstars don’t always need to issue ultimatums when front offices are already incentivized to read the room.

Whether that ultimately makes the pick more or less defensible remains open to debate. What it does reveal, however, is why the Lakers viewed Bronny James as a low-risk, high-reward investment—one rooted as much in stability, optics, and legacy as on-court production, even if his basketball ceiling is still very much a work in progress.

That subtext helps explain why the move was later framed through a more political lens. ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reported last week that Jeanie Buss privately harbored concerns about LeBron James’ influence within the organization, believing his ego had grown alongside the “franchise savior” label that followed his 2018 arrival.

According to the report, Buss was also uncomfortable with the level of control James wielded through Klutch Sports. Those tensions reportedly surfaced again when the Lakers selected Bronny with the 55th pick in the 2024 draft, a decision Buss allegedly viewed as a goodwill gesture—one she felt James failed to adequately appreciate.

While Buss has never publicly criticized James, sources suggested those sentiments were discussed behind closed doors.

And although Buss, LeBron, and his agent, Rich Paul, have since forcefully pushed back against the report, the episode has only reinforced a perception among fans: that beneath the Lakers’ public unity, a familiar pattern of power, influence, and quiet friction continues to linger.

Bronny James fails to get support from the fans

Bronny’s path since then has been rather grounded. He has flashed in a few standout moments that hint at real NBA-level potential, but most of his development has taken place in the G League. Everyone knew that LeBron had talked about a dream of playing with his son on the same NBA team. So, fans are not buying the narrative that LeBron had no involvement in the 2024 draft. “Damn Shelburne on the Klutch Payroll too.”

Another statement from Shelburne’s report that netizens didn’t believe was the influence of Rich Paul. He manages both the father-and-son duo; in fact, there were reports that the Klutch Sports owner demanded that other teams not select Bronny James.

Former general manager of the Golden State Warriors—reported during the broadcast that Paul had been calling teams and telling them not to select Bronny and that, if they did, he would play in Australia instead.

So a fan reminded everyone in the comments. “This is out of hand. Are you kidding? Rich Paul literally said if anyone drafts Bronny, he’s going to play in Australia. Does no one remember that?” This prompted multiple replies, with another commenting, “Lmaooooooooooooo bruh lebron has the best PR team ever!!!! They just lie.”

LeBron, not knowing things, was also under fire when he suggested he had zero links with trading Anthony Davis to the Mavericks. Because again, AD’s agent is Rich Paul. A fan expressing this sentiment wrote, “LeBron has been controlling the narrative from day one.” One netizen even sarcastically mocked the Lakers’ decision to draft Bronny, given his below-average college stats.

His average at USC was a mere 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and just 26% shooting from beyond the arc. “Oh ya they just really wanted a guy scoring 3.2 points per game in college.”