Lakers owner Jeanie Buss understands LeBron’s approach with son Bronny James

There is nothing LeBron James can do to silence the narrative that he used his power and influence to land his son, Bronny James, on the Los Angeles Lakers. Even if the younger James succeeds on the court, there are those who will still find issue with the way he wound up in LA. But what the all-time NBA scoring champion can do is help instill a professional working atmosphere.

LeBron James plans to not allow Bronny to call him “dad” while the two are partaking in official Lakers’ business. Everyone in the locker room obviously knows that their bond runs the deepest, but it can be important to draw that line in the workplace, especially for the man who is seen as the leader and face of the team. Lakers owner Jeanie Buss can relate to this situation.

“You know, I never had that conversation with LeBron or Bronny, but in business situations, I addressed my father as Dr. Buss,” she told Chuck Schilken of the Los Angeles Times. “I wanted to keep that boundary clear because that helped us out — we weren’t bringing work home to the dinner table. So I think LeBron and Bronny are very prepared for this. And I’m excited just for them to have this opportunity.”

Lakers’ Jeanie Buss worked under father Jerry Buss for decades

Jerry Buss, who purchased the team in 1979, is beloved in LA for his carefree personality and dedication to building a winning and exciting basketball product. He brought much of his family into the operation, which undoubtedly brings with it gobs of scrutiny. Jeanie Buss seemingly made it a point to not draw any more eyeballs her way by acting in a casual manner around her father.

She took the opportunity of working within the Lakers organization quite seriously and surely did not want her career standing to be defined by nepotism claims. Of course, that chatter still surrounds Buss today, especially as her ownership tenure becomes more mired in criticism. And that same disapproval will also follow LeBron and Bronny James to some degree.
But the decision to not publicly flaunt power and privilege can work wonders, particularly from a morale and perception standpoint. This father-offspring duo hopes it can enjoy the same amount of basketball success that the Busses did.