The iconic 23rd year for LeBron James has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Multiple legendary streaks came to an end, and then the kicker about  Jeanie Buss’s alleged private frustration with the 41-year-old. His agent, Rich Paul, dismissed it, and even JJ Redick defended the legacy. His good friend, Shannon Sharpe, also came to the rescue.

The NFL legend has been one of the most vocal supporters of the 4x NBA champion, even defending him against Stephen A. Smith. Athlon Sports even reported, “Sharpe considers him a friend”. A fact seemingly confirmed by the warm hug LeBron gave the analyst after a game back in January 2023. During this drama, Sharpe wasn’t leaving his friend hanging. “Does LeBron have an ego? I tell people this all the time: the greater the person, the bigger the ego,” he said on his podcast, Nightcap.

“Jeanie, not only did you get LeBron in 2019 without having to do any work, but you also got Anthony Davis and got a championship. In the process of getting Anthony Davis, you were able to trade him and parlay that into Luka Doncic. Without LeBron James, you get none of this name a great athlete that you don’t believe has an ego. If you give up control, that’s on you. But you know why you really gave him that control, because you knew it was good for business. Once Kobe left, who was looking for the Lakers?”

ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reported Buss had a problem with James’s “outsized ego” and felt Klutch Sports, an agency that managed LeBron James and then-Lakers star Anthony Davis, exerted too much control. But before trading for LeBron James, the Lakers had a lot of problems, which Shannon Sharpe hinted at.

After Kobe Bryant won two back-to-back championships, the years that followed were a tough watch for the Purple and Gold faithful. A series of failed trades, poor injury management of Kobe, and costly signings of Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov disrupted the system. Records quickly plummeted from 57-25 in 2010-11 to 17-65 in 2015-16. That’s why LeBron James signing in 2018 was a breath of fresh air.

He ended the 6-year playoff drought and helped Jeanie Buss & Co. restore credibility in the NBA. James was one of the reasons why they could acquire Anthony Davis from the Pelicans in 2019. And thus, clinched their 2020 championship in the Bubble era. Even now, Luka Doncic was elated to play alongside James despite him being a 41-year-old. That’s why a lot of people are coming to Bron’s defense.

Jeanie Buss, Rich Paul, and JJ Redick extend support to LeBron James

The former owner and the current Governor of the Los Angeles Lakers even dismissed that narrative of turning against LeBron 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,” Buss said. “To say that it wasn’t appreciated is just not true and completely unfair to him.” Bron’s agent, Rich Paul, also dismissed the report in its entirety.

Coach JJ Redick also came to the defense. “Everybody in this organization appreciates LeBron and appreciates what he’s done for the Lakers,” he said in his pre-game remarks at Intuit Dome as the Clippers host the Lakers. “He’s carried on the legacy and also, truthfully, the burden of being a superstar for the Los Angeles Lakers for eight years, and he’s done it with class.”

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Even Stephen A. Smith, who had a public feud with Bron, was on his side. When LeBron James opted into his $52.6 million contract, he wouldn’t have envisioned what turmoil it would bring a few months later.