What seemed like a post for appreciation turned into a nightmare really quickly for Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss. The 61-year-old recently uploaded a post on Twitter as a shoutout to NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal. However, things turned ugly quickly after Buss received a ton of backlash from NBA fans. In response to the trolls, Buss posted a tweet directed at those who commented against her.

The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly extended their contract with the general manager of the franchise, Rob Pelinka. This decision was not well-received by fans, given that the recent campaigns under his leadership have all returned disappointing outcomes. Moreover, the truancy regarding trading players amidst the Lakers’ persisting woes this season caused the Twitterati to express their displeasure with Buss. While Pelinka accepted the blame for the team’s poor roster, it did not save Buss from all the heat.

Jeanie Buss’ appreciation post for Shaquille O’Neal attracts flak from fans

On December 23, Jeanie Buss uploaded a collage of a bunch of roses and a note sent by Shaquille O’Neal on her social media. In the caption, the Lakers owner wrote that she appreciated the NBA legend’s thoughtfulness. Additionally, she congratulated the Big Aristotle for the success of THE EVENT, a charity function organized by The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation. Furthermore, she encouraged everyone to attend the following year’s event scheduled to be held on October 7, 2023, in Sin City.

However, the comment section of the post soon flooded with backlashes for her decision to extend Rob Pelinka’s contract. Consequently, Buss turned her comments off. When a user retweeted Buss’ post to mock her for turning the comments off, Buss felt it necessary to send a message to the Twitterati.

Responding to the fans’ tweet, Buss wrote, “You can still post whatever you want about me. I’m trying to highlight the good work The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation is doing and if you are going to trash me please separate it from good work the foundation is doing.”

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The Lakers Boss decided to send a message to her detractors to not tarnish the good work done by others in an attempt to criticize her. Her emotionally-charged plea to fans to refrain from posting mean comments in posts which had nothing to do with basketball, barely fetched any expected results. In fact, fans doubled down on their criticism of her management of the organization.

Why did Jeanie Buss extend Pelinka’s contract?

In October 2022, it was announced that general manager Rob Pelinka has signed a contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers. This decision came as a shock to the sports community following the Lakers’ unsuccessful stint during the offseason.

On the other hand, the franchise had decided to let go of the then-head coach Frank Vogel. According to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the Lakers reportedly extended the contract to put Pelinka on the same timeline as the newly appointed head coach Darvin Ham. Interestingly, the decision was made before the franchise hired Ham.

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What do you think of the Lakers’ decision? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!