'Who Gives a S--t?', Rich Paul Responds to Rumors Involving Lakers' LeBron James, Jeanie Buss

Rich Paul, Klutch Sports CEO and agent of LeBron James, reacted to the rumors surrounding Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss and his client.

"Who gives a s--t," Paul said on Game Over with Max Kellerman and Rich Paul (56:40 mark). "I don't, right? You don't know what's true, what's not true. But where there's smoke, there's fire. I seen some of the stuff that came out about it and obviously they talked about different scenarios in terms of power that we may have. Here's all I know. There's an appreciation for guys like Michael Irvin, there should be, our legends. And there damn sure should be appreciation for a guy like LeBron."

"From the time we've gotten to L.A. we've been treated great," he added.

ESPN's Baxter Holmes reported Wednesday that Buss "privately grumbled" about "what she felt was James' outsized ego and the overt control that he and Klutch Sports" exerted over the organization at times (h/t Edward Lewis of the New York Post).

Per Holmes, Buss also didn't like that James was viewed as a "savior for a floundering franchise" when he arrived during the 2018 offseason and that it was he who chose the Lakers "rather than the team's leadership receiving praise for landing him."

James left the Cleveland Cavaliers to sign a four-year contract with Los Angeles in July 2018, eventually helping the team capture a championship in 2020.

The Lakers' decision to draft James' son, Bronny, in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft reportedly impacted the way he was viewed by the team as well.

Buss "privately remarked that James should be grateful for such a gesture" but she felt that he wasn't, via Holmes.

She issued a statement to The Athletic regarding the reporting on Wednesday.

"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."

James is currently headed towards free agency during the upcoming offseason after picking up a $52.6 million player option for his 2025-26 campaign.

The NBA's all-time leading scorer could experience a change of scenery as a free agent if he chooses not to retire, especially with Luka Dončić establishing himself as a long-term building block in Los Angeles.

James has remained effective at 41 years old, averaging 22.5 points, 7.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game on 51.0/33.3/74.0 shooting splits this season.

Despite Buss' reported feelings about the four-time MVP and his uncertain future with Los Angeles, Paul doesn't appear to be seriously concerned about the situation.