NBA journalist, Yaro Weitzman, is making waves in Los Angeles… no, across the NBA. On Oct. 20, he released a new book called A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers. Now, understand why this book has put the Los Angeles Lakers on alert. Well, you see, Weitzman’s book is unwrapping the supposed fallouts between LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. A story of dysfunction within the franchise in the summer of 2022? Looks like Jeanie Buss is thoroughly NOT enjoying it!

Well, a week after the release, the journalist-turned-author shared an interesting experience. On Sunday, Weitzman shared a TikTok video revealing that the Lakers organization had brought in a prominent defamation lawyer to intimidate him. “I started working on this book around January 2023,” Weitzman said. “Around that time, when you work on a project like this, you reach out to the principals. So I got in touch with Jeannie Buss and the Lakers. Jeannie and I actually engaged in a few messages. We even met a couple of times. They were off-the-record meetings. Normally, I wouldn’t be revealing that to you, except she was the one who put these meetings in public first.”

The video later cuts to a clip of Buss in an interview, saying, “There’s somebody that’s out there writing a book, and he said to me that I have a reputation of running a bare bones organization.” Meanwhile, Weitzman clarified that he didn’t accuse Jeanie Buss or the Lakers of anything. In fact, Weitzman also clarified that his work simply involved thorough reporting and fair questioning, yet his findings reignited talks about the Lakers’ restrained spending under Jeanie Buss. Interestingly, only months earlier, the Buss family had agreed to sell the team’s majority stake to Mark Walter for $10 billion. When the journalist reached out for comment, the Lakers’ response carried unmistakable intensity.

“…The way it works when you work on a project like this is, when you’re done, you send the principals some fact-checking. Not positive stuff, just the stuff they might want to respond to,” Yaro Weitzman further added. “I did that for the Lakers, and instead of getting on the phone with me, they decided to hire a famous defamation lawyer named Marty Singer to handle their dealings with me, and he eventually sent me a very strongly written letter.”

While Weitzman claims he hasn’t defamed anyone associated with the Lakers organization, excerpts from his book show a tale you’ve never heard before. Yes, sure, you’ve watched clips of Russell Westbrook not signing his Lakers jersey for a fan. But that brings us to the question: How deep was the rift between Brodie and LeBron James?

Does Yaro Weitzman’s book unravel the truth behind the Lakers in the LeBron James era?

An excerpt from Yaron Weitzman’s book A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers, released on October 20 by The Ringer, peeled back the curtain on the Lakers’ internal turmoil during the 2022 offseason. It revealed rising tension among players, precisely between LeBron James and Russell Westbrook. And a deep sense of ‘dysfunction’ that challenged the franchise’s multi-billion-dollar legacy.

The Lakers’ 2021 trade for Westbrook initially promised brilliance beside LeBron James. Yet, as time passed, cracks surfaced. The book claims Westbrook grew weary of James’s personality, perceiving it as insincere. To emphasize this, it recalls Will Smith’s visit, where James reportedly left the room after saying, “Y’all got this”. Anthony Davis quietly followed, leaving teammates stunned.

Drama has once again found its favorite court, and it’s painted in Lakers gold. Between looming lawsuits, off-the-record meetings, and bruised egos, Yaron Weitzman’s A Hollywood Ending doesn’t just read like investigative reporting; it feels like peeling back the velvet curtain on a Hollywood spectacle. The book doesn’t take sides but rather exposes the cracks behind the Lakers’ glittering facade, showing how fame, power, and pressure intertwine in ways few outside the locker room could ever imagine.

For a franchise built on legacy and star power, the revelations are particularly stinging. The Lakers’ empire still glimmers under the arena lights, but Weitzman’s work hints at a deeper unease beneath the banners. Between LeBron James’ influence, Jeanie Buss’ leadership, and Russell Westbrook’s discontent, A Hollywood Ending captures a franchise caught between triumph and turbulence, a story as dramatic as the city it represents.