Jeanie Buss’ recent tweet about Kobe Bryant had many people suspecting she was sending a message to LeBron James, especially with reports that LeBron was pushing the franchise to trade for Kyrie Irving.
In the tweet, Buss explained about how much she misses Kobe Bryant and his understanding of “team over self.”
Buss finally made an effort to clear up the debate when she spoke with Mark Medina of NBA.com to talk about that and more.
“We’re getting ready to start promoting our 10-part docuseries on Hulu and we’re immersed in all things Lakers,” she said when asked about the tweet related to Bryant. “There are so many people I miss. But the person I miss the most is Kobe. We miss his voice, his friendship and everything that was taken away from us when we lost him. What I know is Laker fans feel the same way I do.
“So when I feel down like that, I know when I say something, the response that I get makes me feel not alone. That’s how a community comes together to grieve. This grieving process with losing Kobe will go on for the rest of my life. It’s a void that can never be filled and was never expected.
“When Phil [Jackson] left to go to the [New York] Knicks, the NBA made us sign a letter because we’re on two different teams. He said, ‘This means I can’t help you anymore. But you always have Kobe. Kobe has your back. Talk to him if you ever need advice. You’ll always have Kobe.’ That’s what Phil said to me. So, the idea that we don’t always have Kobe is hard to accept.”
She was then asked about the belief that some people had that the tweet was a way for Buss to criticize James without calling him out by name.
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“No,” she said. “It was that my heart was full of sadness. You look to people surrounding you that feel the same way to commiserate. That’s all it was. It wasn’t intended at anything other than I had sorrow in my heart and I was trying to lighten my load.”
Hopefully, Buss, James, and the rest of the Lakers organization can work together to find solutions to what ailed the team last season.
The year was a complete disaster from the time they traded for Russell Westbrook. He never fit in and the lack of shooting combined with turnovers did not help matters.
Unless a deal goes down soon, the team will be running it back with Davis, LeBron, and Westbrook.
