Jeanie Buss’ Lakers vs Jerry’s: NFL Legend Explains Why LeBron Wouldn’t Want Bronny James In LA

LeBron James has left pending decision on the player option is still a mystery. Many insiders and experts made varied opinions on the LA Lakers superstar’s upcoming decisions. Shams Charania, a trusted NBA insider, even stated that the team has shown interest in drafting Bronny James. However, NFL legend Shannon Sharpe dropped an insightful angle on ownership history and predicted that King James wouldn’t continue with the legendary franchise.

While the debate was around the controversial premature drafting of the 19-year-old, Sharpe sided with the youth and called out the Lakers’ management. In the latest episode of NightCap, he pointed fingers at the front office and questioned their ability to develop players. After claiming that James wouldn’t sign the player option, he put forward an important question, “Who the Lakers develop?” 

Following that, he went on to list the players that Jeanie Buss & Co. failed to shape up into a Lakers player. Sharpe added, “They didn’t develop Brandon Ingram, they didn’t develop Lonzo Ball… Julius Randle.” The list never seemed to end, he even included Alex Caruso and D’Angelo Russell.

He further stated that LeBron James and his agent Rich Paul would consider a different franchise to develop Bronny James’ professional career. All this noise will only lead down to one question: Did Jeanie Buss fail to maintain the franchise’s main essence which her late father Jerry Buss built?

The answer definitely seemed to be a big yes. Over the last decade or since Jeanie Buss took over the ownership, the team hasn’t been performing at its best. Despite winning the 2020 Championship, the team has gone through a series of low points. Notably, Jeanie dismissed her own brother in 2017. Jim Buss, who was the vice president of basketball operations (2005-2017) and witnessed many high points with the late Kobe Bryant on the roster, abruptly left the franchise.

Jeanie Buss vs Jerry Buss: Who was the better owner?

The late Jerry Buss bought the Lakers in 1979 and transformed them into a dynasty franchise in front of the NBA world. Out of the 17 championships, the Lakers won 11 of them under the Buss family. Moreover, under Jerry’s ownership, the team developed many stars like Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kobe Bryant, and many more. However, in the last 20 years, the team hasn’t developed a single player.

The Lakers have only managed to assemble a great team by borrowing established players from other franchises. At the same time, they have also blown out of chances to develop players with potential.

The only player that the team seems to developing currently is Austin Reaves. The team picked him as an undrafted free agent in the 2021-22 season. After a brief period of coming off the bench, the guard has managed to find a place in the starting lineup.

Apart from that, the team seemed to be looking back at D’lo who blew away after his first two seasons. Now that he entered the player option again after a decent regular season, the question falls on the front office whether they will retain him. Will Bronny James grow into a Lakers star or will he land in a different franchise? Let us know in the comments.