Hour 2: How Did Buss Family Infighting Drive Lakers Sale?

First Take

ESPN Radio

Sports

4.0 • 5.7K Ratings

🗓️ 22 January 2026

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

First Take resumes with Buss family infighting. How did a family feud drive the Lakers into selling, and will this be LeBron's last year as a Laker? (0:00) Then, after the Rams and Seahawks split their season series, which powerhouse does a third matchup favor? (14:30) Next, strengths collide when Kayshon Boutte and the Patriots offense meet Pat Surtain and the Broncos defense. Who has the edge? (28:10) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This week, we have two ESPN hockey nights tonight.
0:03.9	Patrick Kane and the Red Wings go up against Quinn Hughes and the Wild at 930 Eastern 830 Central.
0:08.6	Tomorrow, Nikita Kuturov and the Lightning will take on Connor Bedard and the Black Hawk 7 Eastern, both available on the ESPN app.
0:17.7	The Lakers are having a strong start to the season, sure.
0:21.8	However, things off the court might not be as strong.
0:25.9	In an article by Baxter Holmes published this week on ESPN.com,
0:29.7	he detailed the feuding between the bus family that may have led to the $10 billion sale of the team.
0:35.3	The story also pointed out issues between Jeannie Bus and LeBron James.
0:39.5	The article states that Jeannie privately grumbled about what she felt was James' outsized ego
0:45.2	and the overt control that he and Clutch sports exerted over the organization at times.
0:50.7	Clutch represents both James and Anthony Davis.
0:53.2	The story also said that she did not like that James was considered a savior for the floundering franchise when he arrived in 2018.
1:01.0	After Baxter's piece was published, Jeannie Buss responded to the athletic with a statement saying, quote,
1:06.9	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 I wasn't appreciative, just not true, and completely unfair to him.
1:18.4	So now we have, of course, Brian Winhorse back here with us on First Take and Stephen A as well.
1:23.0	And Wendy, I'll start with you. What was your reaction to this article?
1:26.9	It's an amazing story about an amazing family.
1:30.6	And I think if you take a step back, and you look 10 years ago, Kobe Bryant had retired.
1:36.6	The Lakers were in a tailspin as an organization.
1:40.4	Jeannie Bus's brother, Jim, was running basketball operations, and the results on the court implied he was running them poorly.
1:47.2	Ten years later, she partnered with the younger members of her family to remove the older members of her family from leadership.
1:55.6	Then she partnered with the older members of her family to sell the team when the younger members of her family didn't.
	...

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